Falcatimonas natans gen. nov., sp. nov., a strictly anaerobic, amino-acid-decomposing bacterium isolated from a methanogenic reactor of cattle waste.

A strictly anaerobic bacterial strain (WN011T) was isolated from a methanogenic reactor treating waste from cattle farms. Cells of the strain were Gram-stain-negative curved rods with a polar flagellum. Spores were not produced. The optimum temperature for growth was 35-37 °C and the optimum pH was 6.7. The strain did not utilize carbohydrates as growth substrates. The strain grew in PY medium and produced acetate, butyrate, isovalerate and H2 as well as propionate and isobutyrate as minor products. Amino acids (l-isoleucine, l-leucine, l-lysine, l-serine, l-threonine and l-valine) added to PY medium enhanced growth of the strain and increased the amounts of fermentation products. Oxidase, catalase and nitrate-reducing activities were negative. Hydrogen sulfide was produced. The genomic DNA G+C content was 38.8 mol%. Compounds related to iso-C15 : 0 (fatty acid, dimethylacetal and aldehyde) were detected as predominant components by the cellular fatty acids analysis. The diagnostic diamino acid of the cell-wall peptidoglycan was meso-diaminopimelic acid. On the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequences, three clones from wastewater were very closely related to strain WN011T (up to 99.9 % sequence similarity). The most closely related described species were those in cluster XIVa of the class Clostridia such as Ruminococcus gauvreauii (93.8 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity), Clostridium fimetarium (93.5 %) and Clostridium bolteae(93.5 %). Based on the distinct differences in phylogenetic and phenotypic characteristics of strain WN011T from those of related species, it is concluded that strain WN011T represents a novel species of a new genus in the family Lachnospiraceae, for which the name Falcatimonas natans gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain of the type species is WN011T (=JCM 16476T=DSM 22923T).