Recommended minimal standards for description of new taxa of the genera Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus and related genera

Abstract

Minimal standards for the description of new cultivable strains that represent novel genera and species belonging to the genera Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus and related genera are proposed in accordance with Recommendation 30b of the Bacteriological Code (1990 Revision): the description of novel species should be based on phenotypic, genotypic and ecological characteristics to ensure a rich polyphasic characterization. Concerning genotypic characterization, in addition to DNA G+C content (mol%) data, the description should be based on DNA-DNA hybridization (DDH), 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities and at least two housekeeping gene (e.g. hsp60 and recA) sequence similarities. DDH might not be needed if the 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity to the closest known species is lower than 97 %. This proposal has been endorsed by members of the Subcommittee on the Taxonomy of Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus and related organisms of the International Committee on the Systematics of Prokaryotes.

Bifidobacterium aquikefiri sp. nov., isolated from water kefir

“…Non-methylated lambda phage DNA (Sigma-Aldrich) was used as a calibration reference and genomic DNA from Escherichia coli LMG 2093 was included as a control. The mean G+C content of the DNA of strain LMG 28769 T was 52.6¡0.5 mol%, which is within the range of 50-67 mol% G+C reported previously for the genus Bifidobacterium (Mattarelli et al, 2014).…”

Bifidobacterium aerophilum sp. nov., Bifidobacterium avesanii sp. nov. and Bifidobacterium ramosum sp. nov.: Three novel taxa from the faeces of cotton-top tamarin ( Saguinus oedipus L.)

“…the phylogenetic analyses of the 16S rRNA, hsp60, rpoB, dnaG, dnaJ and clpC partial gene 266 sequences, as well as other recognized data and the minimal standard guidelines[20], all studied strains were 267 genetically and phenotypically discernible from each other and from the currently recognized species of 268 bifidobacteria. Therefore, they represented three novel taxa for which the names Bifidobacterium aerophilum 269sp.…”

“…211 Optimal growth conditions of each strain were determined in TPY broth after 24 h incubation at 37°C under 212anaerobic conditions. Growth was tested at20,25,30,35,37,40,42, 45, 47, 50 and 55°C. Sensitivity to low 213 pH was screened at pH 3.8.…”

MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry Applied to Classification and Identification of Bacteria

“…Since 2006, 76 novel taxa have been described in the International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology with reference to MALDI-TOF MS data as discriminatory characteristics. Minimal standards for describing new taxa of the suborder Micrococcineae (Schumann, Kämpfer, Busse, Evtushenko, & for the Subcommittee on the Taxonomy of the Suborder Micrococcineae of the International Committee on Systematics of Prokaryotes, 2009) and of Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus and related genera (Mattarelli et al, 2014) encourage the application of MALDI-TOF MS for delineation of novel organisms. Indeed, it has been suggested recently that this technique be seen as a new tool in polyphasic taxonomy (Ramasamy et al, 2014;Vandamme & Peeters, 2014).…”