Fructobacillus apis sp. nov., isolated from the gut of honeybee (Apis mellifera)

Abstract

A Gram-positive, facultatively anaerobic, catalase-negative, fructose-dependent strain (W13T) was isolated from the gut of honeybee (Apis mellifera). Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing indicated that strain W13T represents a distinct line of descent within the genus Fructobacillus , with the closest neighbours being Fructobacillus broussonetiae BCRC 81240T (98.9 % sequence similarity) and Fructobacillus durionis DSM 19113T (96.8 % sequence similarity). Comparative sequencing of the additional phylogenetic markers rpoC and recA confirmed the 16S rRNA gene tree topology. The complete genome of strain W13T consisted of 1 292 712 bp with a G+C content of 48.3 mol%. Pairwise comparisons of the average nucleotide identity values and digital DNA–DNA hybridization values between the genomes of W13T and its close phylogenetic neighbours, F. broussonetiae BCRC 81240T and F. durionis DSM 19113T, resulted in 76.2–84.1 % and 20.2–27.6 %, respectively. The main cellular fatty acids of strain W13T were C16 : 0, C18 : 1  ω9c and C18 : 1  ω7c. Thus, we propose a novel species within the genus Fructobacillus , with the name Fructobacillus apis sp. nov. and the type strain is W13T (= NBRC 115637T=BCRC 81365T).