Priestia megaterium

(aka Bacillus megaterium)

Bacteria
General | Carbohydrate O/F | Substrate utilisation | Enzymes | Metabolites | Antibiotics

Overview

  • Priestia megaterium, (aka Bacillus megaterium), is a Gram-positive, spore-forming, facultatively anaerobic, motile, rod-shaped bacterium. It has been detected in at least 5 gut microbiome compilation studies or metastudies. The DNA G+C content is 37.0-38.1%. Priestia megaterium is probably a rare gut coloniser. (Logan2011Bergey; Priest1988)



  • This organism has been recovered from human faeces, cow faeces, food and clinical specimens. The risk classification (www.baua.de) for this organism is 1, i.e., low risk of infection and spread (notes: opportunistic in immunocompromised patients). It is an opportunistic pathogen. A possible gut commensal.
    • QUIRKS
  • May be able to persist in the gut, albeit in low numbers, by residing in niches close to epithelial cells (Ilinskaya2017).
    • GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS (Logan2011Bergey); (Priest1988);
    Character Response
  • Substrates hydrolysed or digested:
  • aesculin; casein; gelatin; starch;
  • ±
  • Strain-dependent hydrolysis or digestion:
  • tyrosine;
  • 🧂
  • Salt tolerance:
  • tolerates 2.0% salt; tolerates 7.0% salt;
  • pH
  • Acidity tolerance:
  • tolerates pH 6.0-7.0;
  • 🌡
  • Temperature tolerance:
  • strain-variable at 0-10(d); grows at 20℃; grows at 40℃; grows weakly at 45℃; Grows optimally at 30℃.
  • H+
  • Acid from carbohydrates usually produced:
  • L-arabinose; fructose; galactose; glucose; ribose; xylose; glycogen; inulin; starch; cellubiose; gentiobiose; maltose; pullulan; melezitose; melibiose; sucrose; trehalose; D-turanose; glycerol; inositol; mannitol; gluconate; N-Ac glucosamine; salicin;
  • ±
  • Strain-dependent acid from carbs:
  • mannose; amygdalin; lactose; D-arabitol; sorbitol; xylitol; arbutin;
  • ⥅
  • Substrates assimilated or utilised:
  • gluconate; melibiose; aspartate; acetate; citrate; formate; lactate; malonate; succinate;
  • Active enzymes:
  • catalase; esterase C4; esterase lipase C8; β-galactosidase; phenylalanine deaminase; pyrrolidine arylamidase;
    • SPECIAL FEATURES (Logan2011Bergey); (Priest1988);
    Character Response
  • ✗
  • Metabolites not produced:
  • H₂S; indole;
  • ±
  • Methyl red test:
  • active for most strains
  • ✗
  • VP test:
  • not active
  • ✓
  • ONPG test:
  • active
  • ±
  • Nitrate:
  • reduced by few strains
    • RESPONSE TO ANTIBIOTICS (Agersoe2018); (Priest1988); (Reva1995);
    Class Active Resistant
  • Penicillins:
  • ampicillin; carbenicillin;
  • Macrolides:
  • erythromycin; oleandomycin;
  • Tetracyclines:
  • tetracycline;
  • Quinolines:
  • nalidixic-acid;
  • Aminoglycosides:
  • gentamicin; kanamycin; streptomycin;
  • Polypep/ketides:
  • rifampicin;
  • Heterocycles:
  • chloramphenicol;
  • Vancomycins:
  • vancomycin;
  • Miscellaneous antibiotics:
  • polymyxin B;
  • clindamycin;

  • Taylor, G. R., Kropp, K. D., & Molina, T. C. (1985). Nine-year microflora study of an isolator-maintained immunodeficient child. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 50(6), 1349–1356.

    • Details

    GENERAL
    Lineage Physiology General Growth Tolerances Hydrol./digest./degr.
    Phylum:  Firmicutes Class:  Bacilli Order:  Bacillales Family:  Bacillaceae Genus:  Priestia Alt. name:  Bacillus megaterium Gram stain:  + O2 Relation.:  facultatively anaerobic Spore:  Endospore Motility:  Swimming Morphology:  Rod
    Health:  Unknown
    Source:  human faeces, cow faeces, food and clinical specimens
    DNA G+C(%):  37.0-38.1
    Opt. T:  30℃
    Low T(℃):  0-10(d)
    Lower T(℃):  20(+)
    Mid T(℃):  40(+)
    High T(℃):  45(w)
    NaCl 0.5-2%:  2.0(+)
    NaCl >6%:  7.0(+)
    pH 6.0-8.0:  6.0-7.0(+)
    		Aesculin:  + Urea:  neg Gelatin:  + Starch:  + Casein:  + Chitin:  neg DNA:  neg Tyrosine:  d Hippurate:  neg Pectin:  neg Tween:  20(+) 80(d)
    CARBOHYDRATE ACID FORMATION
    Monosaccharide O/F Oligosaccharide O/F Polysaccharide O/F Polyol O/F Other O/F
    D-Arabinose:  neg L-Arabinose:  + Fructose:  + Fucose:  neg D-Fucose:  neg Galactose:  + Glucose:  + Mannose:  d D-Lyxose:  neg Rhamnose:  neg Ribose:  + Sorbose:  neg D-Tagatose:  neg Xylose:  + L-Xylose:  neg Cellubiose:  + Gentiobiose:  + Lactose:  d(neg) Maltose:  + Melezitose:  + Melibiose:  + Sucrose:  + Trehalose:  + Turanose:  + Amygdalin:  d(w) Glycogen:  + Inulin:  + Starch:  + Adonitol:  neg D-Arabitol:  d L-Arabitol:  neg Dulcitol:  neg Erythritol:  neg Glycerol:  + Inositol:  + Mannitol:  + Sorbitol:  d Xylitol:  d Arbutin:  d Gluconate:  d(+) 2-Ketogluconate:  neg 5-Ketogluconate:  neg Me-α-D-Glc:  neg Me-α-D-Mann:  neg Me-Xyloside:  neg NAc-α-GA:  + Salicin:  +
    SUBSTRATE ASSIMILATION & UTILISATION
    Monosaccharide util/assim Oligosaccharide util/assim Other carboh. util/assim Amino acid util/assim Organic acid util/assim
    Melibiose:  + Gluconate:  + Asp:  + Acetate:  + Citrate:  + Formate:  + Lactate:  + Malonate:  + Succinate:  +
    ENZYME ACTIVITY
    Enzymes: General Enzymes: Carbohydrate Enzymes: Protein Enzymes: Arylamidases Enzymes: Esters/fats
    Oxidase:  neg Catalase:  + Urease:  neg Ac-β-glcamnd:  neg α-Fucosidase:  neg α-Galactosidase:  neg β-Galactosidase:  + β-Glucuronidase:  neg α-Mannosidase:  neg ArgDH:  neg LysDC:  neg OrnDC:  neg Phe deaminase:  + LeuAA:  neg PyrrolidAA:  + AcidP:  neg Esterase(C4):  + EstLip(C8):  + Lecithinase:  neg Lipase(C14):  neg
    METABOLITES - PRODUCTION & USE
    Fuel Usable Metabolites Metabolites Released Special Products Compounds Produced

    		H2S:  neg Indole:  neg
    ANTIBIOTICS ℞
    Penicillins & Penems (μg/mL) Cephalosporins (μg/mL) Aminoglycosides (μg/mL) Macrolides (μg/mL) Quinolones (μg/mL)
    ampicillin:  Sens
    benzyl-pen:  Var(MIC50): 4), MIC90: Var(4
    carbenicil:  Sens
    oxacillin:  I
    gentamicin:  Sens
    kanamycin:  Sens
    streptomycin:  S(8)
    erythromycin:  S(MIC50): 1), MIC90: S(1, Var(0.5)
    oleandomycin:  Sens
    nalidixic-acid:  S(16)
    Tetracyclines (μg/mL) Vancomycin Class (μg/mL) Polypep/ketides (μg/mL) Heterocycles (μg/mL) Other (μg/mL)
    tetracycline:  S(1)
    vancomycin:  Sens
    gramicidin:  Var(MIC50): 32), MIC90: Var(32
    rifampicin:  S(0.25)
    chloramphenicol:  S(8)
    clindamycin:  Res
    polymyxin_B:  S(8)

    References

    SPECIFIC REFERENCES FOR PRIESTIA MEGATERIUM
  • Andriani2017 - Characterization of Bacillus megaterium and Bacillus mycoides Bacteria as Probiotic Bacteria in Fish and Shrimp Feed.
  • Logan2011Bergey - Bergey's manual of systematic bacteriology. Vol. 3, The Firmicutes. Family Bacillaceae Genus I. Bacillus
  • Ilinskaya2017 - Secretome of Intestinal Bacilli: A Natural Guard against Pathologies.
  • Agersoe2018 - Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing and Tentative Epidemiological Cutoff Values for Five Bacillus Species Relevant for Use as Animal Feed Additives or for Plant Protection.
  • Priest1988 - A Numerical Classification of the Genus Bacillus.
  • Reva1995 - Antibiotic Susceptibility as a Taxonomic Characteristic of the Genus Bacillus.
  • ...............................
    • GUT MICROBIOME COMPILATIONS AND METASTUDIES FOR PRIESTIA MEGATERIUM
  • Lagier2016 - Culture of previously uncultured members of the human gut microbiota by culturomics.
  • New2022 - Collective effects of human genomic variation on microbiome function.
  • Pfleiderer2013 - Culturomics identified 11 new bacterial species from a single anorexia nervosa stool sample.
  • RajilicStojanovic2014 - The first 1000 cultured species of the human gastrointestinal microbiota.
  • Taylor1985 - Nine-year microflora study of an isolator-maintained immunodeficient child.
  • ...............................
    • GENERAL REFERENCES FOR PRIESTIA MEGATERIUM
  • Ludwig2009 - Revised road map to the phylum Firmicutes.
    • Added: April 08, 2021