Skip directly to site content Skip directly to page options Skip directly to A-Z link Skip directly to A-Z link Skip directly to A-Z link
Volume 29, Number 4—April 2023
Etymologia

Etymologia: Haematospirillum jordaniae

Author affiliation: Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Cite This Article

Haematospirillum jordaniae [Hae.ma.to.spi.ril′lum jor.da′ni.ae]

Figure 1

Haematospirillum jordaniae from a human blood sample. Scale bar indicates 1 μm. Source: (5).

Figure 1. Haematospirillum jordaniae from a human blood sample. Scale bar indicates 1 μm. Source: (5).

For the sesquipedalian term Haematospirillum, Haema is derived from the Greek haima, meaning blood. Spirillum is derived from Medieval Latin in the mid-13th century Latin (spiralis), French in the 1550s (spiral), and Greek (speira). All suggest a winding or coil. A New Latin reference book entry in 1875 implied a little coil (Figure 1).

Figure 2

Jean G. Jordan. Photograph provided by the Special Bacteriology Reference Laboratory, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Figure 2. Jean G. Jordan. Photograph provided by the Special Bacteriology Reference Laboratory, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and...

Isolated from human blood, Haematospirillum jordaniae was reported as a novel genus and species in 2016 by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) scientist Ben W. Humrighouse and his laboratory team, which included Jean G. Jordan, a microbiologist (Figure 2). This gram-negative bacterium was isolated 14 times in 10 states during 2003‒2012 before its identification in 2016.

H. jordaniae was previously considered an environmental bacterium with limited pathogenicity, but increasing numbers of isolates indicated a possible emerging pathogen. All cases occurred in male patients, and the pathogen showed a predilection for infecting lower leg injuries. In 2018, Hovan and Hollinger reported a case of infection in a Delaware man who, in 2016, had sepsis from a lower leg wound. The organism isolated was identified at the CDC Special Bacteriology Reference Laboratory (SBRL) in the Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases.

Figure 3

The Orange Book (7). Jean G. Jordan was one of the original authors.

Figure 3. The Orange Book (7). Jean G. Jordan was one of the original authors.

Jordan, who helped identify an H. jordaniae sample in 2010, was honored by having the species named after her. She spent 52 years at CDC and was one of the authors of the “The Orange Book,” the standard reference for bacterial special pathogens, more formally known as “Identification of Unusual Pathogenic Gram-Negative Aerobic and Facultatively Anaerobic Bacteria (Figure 3).” Her colleagues fondly recall Jordan, noting, “Jean was an integral part of SBRL’s founding. Although not necessarily a well-known person, she was the behind the scenes expert who never wanted any special credit.”

Top

References

  1. Hovan  G, Hollinger  A. Clinical isolation and identification of Haematospirillum jordaniae. Emerg Infect Dis. 2018;24:19556. DOIPubMedGoogle Scholar
  2. Humrighouse  BW, Emery  BD, Kelly  AJ, Metcalfe  MG, Mbizo  J, McQuiston  JR. Haematospirillum jordaniae gen. nov., sp. nov., isolated from human blood samples. Antonie van Leeuwenhoek. 2016;109:493500. DOIPubMedGoogle Scholar
  3. LPSN. List of prokaryotic names with standing in nomenclature. Species Haematospirillum jordaniae [cited 2022 May 21]. https://lpsn.dsmz.de/species/haematospirillum-jordaniae
  4. Jean Jordan obituary. Published by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on May 28, 2014. [cited 2022 Oct 17]. https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/atlanta/name/jean-jordan94 obituary?id=23964116
  5. Pal  E, Štrumbelj  I, Kišek  TC, Kolenc  M, Pirš  M, Rus  KR, et al. Haematospirillum jordaniae cellulitis and bacteremia. Emerg Infect Dis. 2022;28:21169. DOIPubMedGoogle Scholar
  6. Persiana (1875) (Latin Edition): Heckmanns, Alexius. Spirillum (n.) [cited 2022 May 21]. https://www.etymoline.com/word/spirillum
  7. Weyant  RS, Moss  CW, Weaver  RE. Hollis, Jordan JG, Cook E, et al.; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Identification of unusual pathogenic gram-negative aerobic and facultatively anaerobic bacteria. The Orange Book, 2nd ed. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins; 1996.

Top

Figures

Top

Cite This Article

DOI: 10.3201/eid2904.220831

Original Publication Date: March 16, 2023

Related Links

Top

Table of Contents – Volume 29, Number 4—April 2023

EID Search Options
presentation_01 Advanced Article Search – Search articles by author and/or keyword.
presentation_01 Articles by Country Search – Search articles by the topic country.
presentation_01 Article Type Search – Search articles by article type and issue.

Top

Comments

Please use the form below to submit correspondence to the authors or contact them at the following address:

Clyde Partin, Department of Internal Medicine, Emory University, 1365 Clifton Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30322-1007, USA

Send To

10000 character(s) remaining.

Top

Page created: March 16, 2023
Page updated: March 20, 2023
Page reviewed: March 20, 2023
The conclusions, findings, and opinions expressed by authors contributing to this journal do not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Public Health Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the authors' affiliated institutions. Use of trade names is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by any of the groups named above.
file_external