Corynebacterium pilbarense sp. nov., a non-lipophilic corynebacterium isolated from a human ankle aspirate

Abstract

A non-lipophilic coryneform bacterium isolated from an anaerobic Bactec bottle inoculated with an ankle aspirate from a male patient was characterized by phenotypic and molecular taxonomic methods. Chemotaxonomic investigations revealed the presence of short-chain mycolic acids in the cell wall of the bacterium, a feature consistent with members of the genusCorynebacterium. Comparative 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis demonstrated that the isolate displayed 92.0–99.0 % gene sequence similarity with members of the genusCorynebacterium, withCorynebacterium ureicelerivoransas the most closely related phylogenetic species (99.0 % gene sequence similarity). However, the isolate could be genomically separated fromC. ureicelerivoranson the basis of DNA–DNA hybridization studies (39.5 % relatedness). Furthermore, the isolate could also be differentiated fromC. ureicelerivoransand other species of the genusCorynebacteriumon the basis of biochemical properties. Based on both phenotypic and phylogenetic evidence, it is proposed that this isolate be classified as representing a novel species,Corynebacterium pilbarensesp. nov. (type strain IMMIB WACC 658T=DSM 45350T=CCUG 57942T).