Lonepinella koalarum gen. nov., sp. nov., a New Tannin-Protein Complex Degrading Bacterium

• Published in: Systematic and applied microbiology Vol. 18; no. 3; pp. 368 - 373
• Main Authors: Osawa, R., Rainey, F., Fujisawa, T., Lang, E., Busse, H.J., Walsh, T.P., Stackebrandt, E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier GmbH 1995
• Subjects: Koala fecal biota; Lonepinella koalarum; Pasteurellaceae; Tannin-protein complex degradation; The family Pasteurellaceae; Lonepinella koalarum; Koala fecal biota; Tannin-protein complex degradation; The family Pasteurellaceae
• ISSN: 0723-2020; 1618-0984
• DOI: 10.1016/S0723-2020(11)80430-3

The phylogeny of bacteria that degrade a tannin-protein complex (T-PC) isolated from the fecal biota of koala was investigated. All T-PC degrading bacteria were facultatively anaerobic Gram-negative rods, producing tannase, but negative for catalase and oxidase activities. The 16S rDNA sequence analyses of eight T-PC degrading strains representing biovars a, b, c, and d, revealed that the strains formed a phylogeneric cluster within the family Pasteurellaceae. Furthermore seven strains of biovar a, b, and c formed a 16S rDNA sub-cluster with similarity values in the range 97.6 to 99.8%. As the strains also exhibit a combination of chemotaxonomic and physiological properties not found in other members of the family Pasteurellaceae, it was concluded that the T-PC degrading isolates of biovar a, b, and c represent a new genus and species, for which the name Lonepinella koalarum gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed.