Investigating the implicit diversity of the Moraxellaceae family using the Taxonomy Informed Clustering (TIC) algorithm

Abstract

The family Moraxellaceae, which includes the genera Acinetobacter, Moraxella, and Psychrobacter, is a diverse group of bacteria with ecological and clinical significance. Some species can cause infections in humans and animals and have emerged as important agents of nosocomial infections. While most members of the family are considered saprophytes of little clinical significance, the study of their diversity is important to understand their potential as pathogens and for the development of treatments as well as its other members for use in industrial applications. In this survey, we applied Taxonomy Informed Clustering (TIC) on above 550,000 sequences, which were assigned to the Moraxellaceae family from three sources (IMNGS, SILVA, and LPSN databases) in order to gain insight into the implicit diversity of this bacterial family at genus and species level. The results reveal higher diversity at both levels. The TIC algorithm suggests more than 200 and 20,000 novel clusters at genus and species level, respectively. Considering 172 validly published species of this family, this finding recommends further investigation in this and other families in order to understand microbiological communities.