Sheep Likely Source of New 'Species X' Bacteria, London Patient as First Victim [Study]

A new 'species X' bacteria was detected in the United Kingdom, and scientists recorded the first-ever case of human infection from the novel bacterium, where a London hospital patient was its victim. The findings are according to a new study led by researchers from the Department of Infection at Guy's and St. Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust in London.

The previously undescribed species X is now being called Variovorax durovernensis and is a type of Variovorax, a group of bacteria that mostly live in soils. Since the 55-year-old patient works as a shepherd in Canterbury, authors of the new medical research paper point towards sheep as a likely source of the new bacteria species. Evidence of the pathogen was found in the patient's blood.

The London patient is the only recorded person known to have been infected by V. durovernensis, based on the study. With this, it remains a mystery how and why this species X bacteria was overlooked. It is also not clear if other persons are currently or were infected by the novel bacteria, which do not pose as a public health threat as of January 2024.

New Species X Bacteria

The new study was published in the journal Clinical Infection in Practice, where researchers not only identified the new species X bacteria but also extracted a sample of it from the blood of the patient, who was first admitted to Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital in London. The research team also believes that the pathogen jumped over from sheep, as mentioned earlier.

During admission to the London hospital, it was reported the patient (which has a history of mycotic aortic aneurysm) exhibited symptoms like persistent fever, weight loss, and abnormal swelling in the walls from the heart's main artery. The hospital then conducted standard blood tests and detected the presence of several distinct species of disease-causing bacteria that may be behind the infection.

However, there is one unknown bacteria species that cannot be recognized by the tests, which led medical authorities to arrive at their conclusion about the existence of the previously undescribed species X bacteria V. Durovernensis, which is derived from the Latin name of Canterbury, where the shepherd lives and upon the patient's request.

Sheep as Likely Source

The study provided evidence of the link between the UK sheep (mainly in Canterbury) and the new bacteria species. This is based on further investigation that the Canterbury shepherd became infected during the lambing season. This period pertains to feeding the sheep with anti-parasite medications which was performed without using gloves, according to the paper.

Since the aerobic bacteria Variovorax not only resides in soil but also freshwater environments, there is a possibility that sheep may have consumed soil or water contaminated with the said bacterial group. Other herbivorous ruminant animals include cattle, goats, and deer. Yet, there have been no recorded traces of the novel bacteria from these animals except with the Canterbury sheep.