Characteristics of soil origin Pseudomonas batumici Koz11 isolated from a remote island in Japan

Abstract

Soil samples from a remote Japanese island (Kozushima) were processed and investigated for organisms exhibiting antimicrobial activity against pathogenic strains. A Pseudomonas strain demonstrating antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) was identified, prompting further investigation. Whole-genome sequencing was employed to identify the species and conduct phylogenetic analysis, followed by in silico molecular analysis. Chemotaxonomic and biochemical analyses were conducted to further characterize the strain. Genomic analysis identified the strain of interest as Pseudomonas batumici (P. batumici), originally isolated from soil of the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus in 1980. P. batumici Koz11 is the second P. batumici strain to be isolated and identified outside its initial area of discovery. Similar to the type strain, P. batumici Koz11 showed antimicrobial activity against various S. aureus strains, including methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant S. aureus (VRSA). However, the previously reported ‘batumin gene cluster’, which synthesizes antimicrobial compounds, was absent from P. batumici Koz11. This study provides new insights into P. batumici. Since the type strain of P. batumici is exclusively deposited in the Ukrainian Collection of Microorganisms, the Koz11 strain may serve as a surrogate to facilitate continued study of P. batumici.