Defluvicoccus vanus gen. nov., sp. nov., a novel Gram-negative coccus/coccobacillus in the 'Alphaproteobacteria' from activated sludge

• Published in: International journal of systematic and evolutionary microbiology Vol. 55; no. 5; pp. 2105 - 2111
• Main Authors: Maszenan, A. M, Seviour, R. J, Patel, B. K. C, Janssen, P. H, Wanner, J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Reading Soc General Microbiol 01.09.2005; Society for General Microbiology
• Subjects: Azospirillum; Bacterial Typing Techniques; Bacteriology; Biological and medical sciences; DNA, Bacterial - analysis; DNA, Ribosomal - analysis; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Genes, rRNA; Magnetospirillum; Microbiology; Molecular Sequence Data; Phenotype; Phylogeny; Rhodospirillaceae - classification; Rhodospirillaceae - genetics; Rhodospirillaceae - isolation & purification; Rhodospirillaceae - physiology; Rhodospirillum; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S - genetics; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Sewage - microbiology; Systematics; Activated sludge; New genus; Taxonomy; Gram negative bacteria
• ISSN: 1466-5026; 1466-5034
• DOI: 10.1099/ijs.0.02332-0

1 Biotechnology Research Centre, La Trobe University, Bendigo, Victoria 3550, Australia 2 School of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology, Griffith University, Nathan, Queensland 4111, Australia 3 Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia 4 Department of Water Technology and Environmental Engineering, Prague Institute of Chemical Technology, Praha 6, Czech Republic Correspondence R. J. Seviour r.seviour{at}latrobe.edu.au A novel Gram-negative coccus/coccobacillus, strain Ben 114 T , growing in tetrads, clusters or aggregates, was isolated from activated sludge by micromanipulation. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis revealed that it belonged to the ‘ Alphaproteobacteria ’, with no close relatives among cultured bacterial isolates. On the basis of phylogenetic data, this organism is considered to belong to a new genus, Defluvicoccus , represented by the species Defluvicoccus vanus sp. nov., a name chosen because of the distinctive staining properties of this organism; only the cell wall stained strongly with a wide range of stains, giving the cell a hollow and empty appearance. No intracellular polyphosphate granules could be detected after staining, but poly- -hydroxyalkanoate inclusions were detected using Nile blue A staining. Because of its taxonomic distance from its closest relatives among the ‘ Alphaproteobacteria ’, namely members of the genera Azospirillum , Phaeospirillum , Rhodospirillum , Rhodocista , Magnetospirillum and Rhodospira , D. vanus is considered to represent a new phylogenetic lineage within subgroup 1 of the ‘ Alphaproteobacteria ’, the D. vanus subgroup. The type strain is Ben 114 T (=NCIMB 13612 T =CIP 107350 T ). Abbreviations: EBPR, enhanced biological phosphorus removal; GAO, glycogen-accumulating organisms; PAO, polyphosphate-accumulating organisms; PHA, poly- -hydroxyalkanoate; polyP, polyphosphate; TFO, tetrad-forming organisms The GenBank/EMBL/DDBJ accession number for the 16S rRNA gene sequence of strain Ben 114 T is AF179678 . Present address: Environmental Engineering Research Centre, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798.