RT Journal Article SR Electronic(1) A1 Lanjekar, V. B. A1 Marathe, N. P. A1 Ramana, V. Venkata A1 Shouche, Y. S. A1 Ranade, D. R.YR 2014 T1 Megasphaera indica sp. nov., an obligate anaerobic bacteria isolated from human faeces JF International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology, VO 64 IS Pt_7 SP 2250 OP 2256 DO https://doi.org/10.1099/ijs.0.059816-0 PB Microbiology Society, SN 1466-5034, AB Two coccoid, non-motile, obligately anaerobic, Gram-stain-negative bacteria, occurring singly or in pairs, or as short chains, with a mean size of 1.4–2.5 µm were isolated from the faeces of two healthy human volunteers, aged 26 and 56 years, and were designated NMBHI-10T and BLPYG-7, respectively. Both the strains were affiliated to the sub-branch Sporomusa of the class Clostridia as revealed by 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. The isolates NMBHI-10T and BLPYG-7 showed 99.1 and 99.2 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity, respectively, with Megasphaera elsdenii JCM 1772T. DNA–DNA hybridization and phenotypic analysis showed that both the strains were distinct from their closest relative, M. elsdenii JCM 1772T (42 and 53 % DNA–DNA relatedness with NMBHI-10T and BLPYG-7, respectively), but belong to the same species (DNA–DNA relatedness of 80.9 % between the isolates). According to DNA–DNA hybridization results, the coccoid strains belong to the same genospecies, and neither is related to any of the recognized species of the genus Megasphaera . Strains NMBHI-10T and BLPYG-7 grew in PYG broth at temperatures of between 15 and 40 °C (optimum 37 °C), but not at 45 °C. The strains utilized a range of carbohydrates as sources of carbon and energy including glucose, lactose, cellobiose, rhamnose, galactose and sucrose. Glucose fermentation resulted in the formation of volatile fatty acids, mainly caproic acid and organic acids such as succinic acid. Phylogenetic analysis, specific phenotypic characteristics and/or DNA G+C content also differentiated the strains from each other and from their closest relatives. The DNA G+C contents of strains NMBHI-10T and BLPYG-7 are 57.7 and 54.9 mol%, respectively. The major fatty acids were 12 : 0 FAME and 17 : 0 CYC FAME. On the basis of these data, we conclude that strains NMBHI-10T and BLPYG-7 should be classified as representing a novel species of the genus Megasphaera , for which the name Megsphaera indica sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is NMBHI-10T ( = DSM 25563T = MCC 2481T)., UL https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/ijsem/10.1099/ijs.0.059816-0