A New Filamentous, Gliding Bacterium, Filibacter limicola gen. nov. sp. nov., from Lake Sediment

• Published in: Journal of general microbiology Vol. 130; no. 11; pp. 2943 - 2959
• Main Authors: Maiden, Mark F. J, Jones, J. Gwynfryn
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Soc General Microbiol 01.11.1984; New York, NY Cambridge University Press
• Subjects: Bacteriology; Biological and medical sciences; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Microbiology; Systematics; New genus; Optical microscopy; Transmission electron microscopy; Nutrition; Growth; Aminoacid; Morphology; Colony swarming; New species; Lake sediments; Carbon
• ISSN: 0022-1287; 1350-0872; 1465-2080
• DOI: 10.1099/00221287-130-11-2943

Freshwater Biological Association, Windermere Laboratory. The Ferry House, Ambleside. Cumbria LA22 0LP, UK ABSTRACT SUMMARY: A new, Gram-negative, multicellular, filamentous, gliding bacterium is described. The organism was isolated from the sediment of a eutrophic lake on a dilute peptone medium. The growth habit on solid media was characterized by spreading whorls of growth and spiral colonies. Filaments, 8 to 150 µm long, were composed of cylindrical cells 1.1 µm wide by 3 to 30 µm long. Junctions between individual cells within a filament were marked by constrictions. The organism was not pigmented, and therefore resembled members of the genus Vitreoscilla. Comparision with two Vitreoscilla strains showed important differences in cytochrome composition, DNA base composition, isoprenoid quinone content, and sensitivity to actinomycin D, which indicated that the isolate was more closely related to the Flexibacteriaceae than to Vitreoscilla spp. The organism did not resemble any previously described taxon of Flexibacteriaceae. On the basis of differences from both Vitreoscilla spp. and flexibacteria it is proposed that the organism be placed in a new genus, Filibacter , with the type species named as Filibacter limicola sp. nov., from its origin in sediment. The type strain of F. limicola is 1SS101 (NCIB 11923). The organism was a strict aerobe capable of growth on defined mixtures of amino acids, and had a requirement for vitamins. Only amino acids served as substrates. The organism required particular combinations of amino acids for growth. No single amino acid or mixture of amino acids from a single biosynthetic family supported growth.