Streptomyces youssoufiensis sp. nov., isolated from a Moroccan phosphate mine.

A novel actinomycete, strain X4(T), was isolated from a phosphate mine in Youssoufia, 100 km north of Marrakesh, Morocco. The taxonomic status of this strain was evaluated by a polyphasic approach. Strain X4(T) had white aerial mycelium with Rectiflexibiles spore chains bearing smooth-surfaced spores and did not produce diffusible pigments. Chemotaxonomic analysis showed that the cell wall of strain X4(T) contained LL-diaminopimelic acid and glycine. Phylogenetic analysis based on the almost complete 16S rRNA gene sequence indicated that strain X4(T) belongs to the Group I streptomycetes, branching off next to Streptomyces ramulosus NRRL B-2714(T) and Streptomyces kasugaensis M338-M1(T). DNA-DNA relatedness and phenotypic data enabled strain X4(T) to be distinguished from the phylogenetically most closely related type strains. It is therefore proposed that strain X4(T) represents a novel species of the genus Streptomyces, for which the name Streptomyces youssoufiensis sp. nov. is proposed; the type strain is X4(T) ( = CCMM B709(T)  = DSM 41920(T)).