Weissella oryzae sp. nov., isolated from fermented rice grains

Abstract

A taxonomic study was conducted on two Gram-reaction-positive, catalase-negative, irregular short-rod-shaped or coccoid lactic acid bacteria, designated strains SG25T and SG23, that were isolated from grains of fermented Japanese rice (Oryza sativa L. subsp. japonica). A phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequence data clearly showed that the strains belonged to the genus Weissella and were most closely related to Weissella soli LMG 20113T (with a sequence similarity of 96.9 % for each novel strain). The peptidoglycan of each strain contained the amino acids glutamic acid, lysine, serine and alanine in a molar ratio of 1.0 : 1.2 : 0.5 : 3.0, respectively. On the basis of the unusual phenotypic characteristics of the novel strains and the low levels of DNA–DNA relatedness recorded between each novel strain and Weissella soli JCM 12536T, strains SG25T and SG23 represent a single novel species in the genus Weissella , for which the name Weissella oryzae sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is SG25T ( = JCM 18191T  = DSM 25784T).