Elizabethkingia anophelis sp. nov., isolated from the midgut of the mosquito Anopheles gambiae

Abstract

The taxonomic position, growth characteristics and antibiotic resistance properties of a slightly yellow-pigmented bacterial strain, designated R26T, isolated from the midgut of the mosquito Anopheles gambiae, were studied. The isolate produced rod-shaped cells, which stained Gram-negative. The bacterium had two growth optima at 30–31 °C and 37 °C. Strain R26T demonstrated natural antibiotic resistance to ampicillin, chloramphenicol, kanamycin, streptomycin and tetracycline. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis revealed that the isolate showed 98.6 % sequence similarity to that of Elizabethkingia meningoseptica ATCC 13253T and 98.2 % similarity to that of Elizabethkingia miricola GTC 862T. The major fatty acids of strain R26T were iso-C15 : 0, iso-C17 : 0 3-OH and summed feature 4 (iso-C15 : 0 2-OH and/or C16 : 1ω7c/t). Strain R26T contained only menaquinone MK-6 and showed a complex polar lipid profile consisting of diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylinositol, an unknown phospholipid and unknown polar lipids and glycolipids. DNA–DNA hybridization experiments with E. meningoseptica CCUG 214T ( = ATCC 13253T) and E. miricola KCTC 12492T ( = GTC 862T) gave relatedness values of 34.5 % (reciprocal 41.5 %) and 35.0 % (reciprocal 25.7 %), respectively. DNA–DNA hybridization results and some differentiating biochemical properties indicate that strain R26T represents a novel species, for which the name Elizabethkingia anophelis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is R26T ( = CCUG 60038T  = CCM 7804T).