Kocuria indica sp. nov., isolated from a sediment sample

Abstract

An actinobacterial strain was isolated from a sediment sample from Chorao Island, in Goa province, India, and subjected to a taxonomic investigation. The isolate, designated NIO-1021T, was a Gram-stain positive, aerobic, non-motile and coccoid. Strain NIO-1021T was identified as a member of the genus Kocuria by a polyphasic approach. Strain NIO-1021T could be differentiated from other members of the genus Kocuria on the basis of physiology and 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. The 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity of strain NIO-1021T to the most closely related species, Kocuria marina KCTC 9943T, was 98.6 % with 19 nt differences). Furthermore, DNA–DNA hybridization analysis revealed that the novel strain had lower relatedness with the type strains of other members of the genus Kocuria . The strain formed a monophyletic clade with K. marina with 100 % bootstrap values. The major phospholipids were phosphatidylglycerol, diphosphatidylglycerol and two unidentified lipids. The predominant menaquinone was MK-7(H2). The major fatty acids were anteiso-C15 : 0, iso-C16 : 0 and anteiso-C17 : 0. The DNA G+C content of strain NIO-1021T was 60.5 mol%. Chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic properties of the strain were consistent with its classification as representing a member of the genus Kocuria . On the basis of phenotypic, chemotypic and molecular characteristics, strain NIO-1021T is considered to represent a novel species of the genus Kocuria , for which the name Kocuria indica sp. nov. is proposed, with strain NIO-1021T ( = NCIM 5455T = DSM 25126T = CCTCC AA 209050T) as the type strain.