A spiroplasma strain Ar-1343T (T = type strain), one of a large assemblage isolated from a mixed pool of Aedes stricticus and Aedes vexans mosquitoes in the French northern Alps, proved to be serologically unrelated to all currently recognized spiroplasma serogroups (I through XI). Strain Ar-1343T was examined with the criteria proposed by the International Committee on Systematic Bacteriology Subcommittee on the Taxonomy of Mollicutes for description of new mollicute species. These spiroplasmas were shown to belong to the class Mollicutes because of their membrane ultrastructure, their colony morphology, and their filtration patterns and to the family Spiroplasmataceae because of their helical morphology and motility. Growth in SP-4, M1A, or M1D media occurred at 20 to 32°C. Strain Ar-1343T was unable to grow in the absence of cholesterol in the medium. Glucose was fermented, and arginine was catabolized. The base composition (guanine plus cytosine) of the deoxyribonucleic acid of strain Ar-1343T was found to be 30 ± 1 mol%. On the basis of these findings, we propose that spiroplasma strain Ar-1343T, with the characteristics described here, should be recognized as a new species, Spiroplasma sabaudiense. Strain Ar-1343T has been deposited in the American Type Culture Collection, Rockville, Md. (ATCC 43303).
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