Methylobacterium isbiliense sp. nov., isolated from the drinking water system of Sevilla, Spain.

Three pink-pigmented facultatively methylotrophic bacteria were isolated from drinking water. These strains (designated AR24T, AR25 and GR32) have been characterized on the basis of phenotypic traits, 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis and DNA-DNA hybridization. According to the results of these analyses, the three strains belong to the genus Methylobacterium. Analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that the three isolates constituted a single phylogenetic group. The level of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities with respect to the type strains of the genus Methylobacterium were less than 96.5 %, except for the type strain of Methylobacterium nodulans (98.1 %). The G+C content of their DNA ranged from 69.0 to 69.7 mol%. DNA-DNA hybridization values confirmed that they constitute a novel species for which we propose the name Methylobacterium isbiliense sp. nov. The type strain is AR24T (=CECT 7068T=CCM 7304T).