- Volume 63, Issue Pt_11, 2013

A novel bacterial strain, designated DCY54T, was isolated from a field cultivated with ginseng in Yongin, Republic of Korea. Cells were Gram-reaction-negative, yellow-pigmented, rod-shaped, non-spore-forming, and strictly aerobic. They were motile by gliding and produced flexirubin-type pigments. Growth occurred optimally at 25–30 °C, at pH 5.0–7.0 and in the presence of 0–1 % NaCl. The 16S rRNA sequence analysis demonstrated that strain DCY54T was most closely related to Flavobacterium defluvii EMB117T (96.9 %). The only isoprenoid quinone of strain DCY 54T was menaquinone-6 (MK-6) and the major polar lipids were phosphatidylethanolamine, one unidentified aminolipid and one unidentified lipid. The major cellular fatty acids (>15 %) were iso-C15 : 0, summed feature 3 (comprising C16 : 1ω7c and/or iso-C15 : 0 2-OH) and C16 : 0. The DNA G+C content was 33.3 mol%. Phylogenetic inference and phenotypic data supported affiliation of strain DCY54T to the genus Flavobacterium . Several physiological and biochemical tests differentiated strain DCY54T from the species of the genus Flavobacterium with validly published names. On the basis of data from a polyphasic study, strain DCY54T represents a novel species of the genus Flavobacterium for which the name Flavobacterium ginsengisoli sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is DCY54T ( = KCTC 23318T = JCM 17336T).

A novel bacterium was isolated from a freshwater hot spring, the Hale House Spring, located at Hot Springs National Park, Hot Springs, AR, USA. Cells of strain MP-01T stained Gram-negative, were rod-shaped, non-motile, strictly anaerobic and chemo-organotrophic and did not form spores. Growth occurred at 50–65 °C, with an optimum at 60 °C, at pH 6.0–8.0, with an optimum at pH 6.5–7.0, and at NaCl concentrations up to 0.5 % (w/v), with optimum growth in the absence of NaCl. Strain MP-01T was capable of fermentative growth on pyruvate or proteinaceous substrates as well as reducing Fe(III) and Mn(IV). Major fatty acids were iso-C15 : 0, iso-C16 : 0, anteiso-C17 : 0 and iso-C17 : 0. The polar lipids consisted of diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidylethanolamine and the major isoprenoid quinone was MK-10. In the polyamine pattern, sym-homospermidine was the predominant compound. The DNA G+C content was 62.7 mol%. Analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequence of the isolate indicated that strain MP-01T represents the first reported cultivated member of subdivision 23 of the Acidobacteria . It is proposed that strain MP-01T represents a novel genus and species, for which the name Thermoanaerobaculum aquaticum gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain of Thermoanaerobaculum aquaticum is MP-01T ( = DSM 24856T = JCM 18256T).

Since the original description of Borrelia bavariensis sp. nov. in 2009, additional samples available from humans and ticks from Europe and Mongolia, respectively, have been used to further characterize Borrelia strains belonging to this group of spirochaetes that utilize rodents as reservoir hosts. These investigations suggested the presence of related strains in Europe and Asia and confirmed their status as representing a distinct species. Furthermore, samples that were investigated by researchers from China and Japan confirm the ecological relationship of members of this proposed species with rodents and suggest that it has a wide distribution in Eurasia. Here, we use phylogenetic and genetic distance analyses to validate B. bavariensis sp. nov. as a species within the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato species complex. The type strain is PBiT ( = DSM 23469T = BAA-2496T).

Twenty-four yeast strains were isolated from ephemeral flowers of Ipomoea spp. and Datura sp. and their associated insects in the Galápagos Archipelago, Ecuador, and from Ipomoea spp. and associated insects in the Cameron Highlands, Malaysia. Sequences of the D1/D2 domains of the large subunit rRNA gene indicated that these strains belong to a novel yeast species of the Kodamaea clade, although the formation of ascospores was not observed. The closest relative is Candida restingae. The human-mediated dispersion of this species by transpacific contacts in ancient times is suggested. The name Kodamaea transpacifica f.a., sp. nov. is proposed to accommodate these isolates. The type strain is CLQCA-24i-070T ( = CBS 12823T = NCYC 3852T); MycoBank number MB 803609.

During a survey of yeasts associated with wood-ingesting insects, 69 strains in the Scheffersomyces clade and related taxa were isolated from passalid and tenebrionid beetles and the decayed wood inhabited by them. The majority of these yeasts was found to be capable of fermenting xylose, and was recognized as Scheffersomyces stipitis or its close relative Scheffersomyces illinoinensis, which are known to be associated with wood-decaying beetles and rotten wood. Yeasts in ‘Scheffersomyces’ ( = Candida) ergatensis and ‘Scheffersomyces’ ( = Candida) coipomoensis were also frequently isolated. The remaining six strains were identified as representing four novel species in the genera Scheffersomyces and Candida based on multilocus sequence analyses of nuclear rRNA genes and four protein-coding genes, as well as other taxonomic characteristics. Two xylose-fermenting species, Scheffersomyces parashehatae f.a., sp. nov. (type strain ATCC MYA-4653T = CBS 12535T = EH045T; MycoBank MB805440) and Scheffersomyces xylosifermentans f.a., sp. nov. (type strain ATCC MYA-4859T = CBS 12540T = MY10-052T; MycoBank MB805441), formed a clade with Scheffersomyces shehatae and related Scheffersomyces species. Interestingly, S. xylosifermentans can survive at 40 °C, which is a rare property among xylose-fermenting yeasts. Candida broadrunensis sp. nov. (type strain ATCC MYA-4650T = CBS 11838T = EH019T; MycoBank MB805442) is a sister taxon of C. ergatensis, while Candida manassasensis sp. nov. (type strain ATCC MYA-4652T = CBS 12534T = EH030T; MycoBank MB805443) is closely related to Candida palmioleophila in the Candida glaebosa clade. The multilocus DNA sequence comparisons in this study suggest that the genus Scheffersomyces needs to be circumscribed to the species near S. stipitis (type species) and S. shehatae that can be characterized by the ability to ferment xylose.

The taxonomic position of Bifidobacterium stercoris Eg1T ( = JCM 15918T) based on comparative 16S rRNA gene and hsp60 sequence analyses was found to be controversial, as the strain showed high similarity to the type strain of Bifidobacterium adolescentis , CCUG 18363T. Therefore, the relationship between the two species was investigated by a taxonomic study that included, in addition to re-evaluation of the 16S rRNA gene sequence, determination of DNA–DNA binding and multilocus sequence analysis (MLSA) of housekeeping genes encoding the DNA-directed RNA polymerase B subunit (rpoC), putative xylulose-5-phosphate/fructose-6-phosphate phosphoketolase (xfp), elongation factor EF-G (fusA), 50S ribosomal protein L2 (rplB) and DNA gyrase B subunit (gyrB). Comparative 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis showed relatively high similarity (98.9 %) between B. stercoris KCTC 5756T and B. adolescentis ATCC 15703T. MLSA revealed close relatedness between B. stercoris KCTC 5756T and B. adolescentis CCUG 18363T, with 99.3–100 % similarity between the rpoC, xfp, fusA, rplB and gyrB gene sequences. In addition, relatively high dnaJ1 gene sequence similarity of 97.7 % was found between the strains. Similar phenotypes and a high DNA–DNA binding value (78.9 %) confirmed that B. stercoris and B. adolescentis are synonymous. Based on these results, it is proposed that the species Bifidobacterium stercoris Kim et al. 2010 should be reclassified as a later heterotypic synonym of Bifidobacterium adolescentis Reuter 1963 (Approved Lists 1980).

Ten species of the order Myxococcales with validly published names are devoid of living type strains. Four species of the genus Chondromyces are represented by dead herbarium samples as the type material. For a species of the genus Melittangium and two species of the genus Polyangium , no physical type material was assigned at the time of validation of the names or later on. In accordance with rule 18f of the International Code of Nomenclature of Bacteria the following type strains are designated for these species: strain Cm a14T ( = DSM 14605T = JCM 12615T) as the type strain of Chondromyces apiculatus , strain Cm c5T ( = DSM 14714T = JCM 12616T) as the type strain of Chondromyces crocatus , strain Sy t2T ( = DSM 14631T = JCM 12617T) as the type strain of Chondromyces lanuginosus , strain Cm p51T ( = DSM 14607T = JCM 12618T) as the type strain of Chondromyces pediculatus , strain Me b8T ( = DSM 14713T = JCM 12633T) as the type strain of Melittangium boletus , strain Pl s12T ( = DSM 14670T = JCM 12637T) as the type strain of Polyangium sorediatum and strain Pl sm5T ( = DSM 14734T = JCM 12638T) as the type strain of Polyangium spumosum . Furthermore, the type strains given for three species of the genera Cystobacter and Polyangium had been kept at one university institute and have been lost according to our investigations. In accordance with Rule 18c of the Bacteriological Code, we propose the following neotype strains: strain Cb fe18 ( = DSM 14716  = JCM 12624) as the neotype strain of Cystobacter ferrugineus , strain Cb m2 ( = DSM 14751 = JCM 12627) as the neotype strain of Cystobacter minus and strain Pl fu5 ( = DSM 14668 = JCM 12636) as the neotype strain of Polyangium fumosum . The proposals of the strains are based on the descriptions and strain proposals given in the respective chapters of Bergey’s Manual of Systematic Bacteriology (2005).