Description of a new anaerobic thermophilic bacterium, Thermoanaerobacterium butyriciformans sp. nov.

Strain USBA-019, an anaerobic and thermophilic strain, was identified as a new member of the genus Thermoanaerobacterium. USBA-019 cells are gram-positive, strictly anaerobic, thermophilic, chemoorganotrophic, moderately acidophilic, non-motile, endospore-forming, slightly curved, and rod-shaped. Cells measure 0.4×3.0-7.0μm. Optimal growth occurs at 50-55°C (35-65°C). Optimum pH is 5.0-5.5 (4.0-8.5). Thiosulfate, elemental sulfur and nitrate were utilized as electron acceptors. Fermentation of glucose, lactose, cellobiose, galactose, arabinose, xylose, starch and xylan primarily produced acetate and butyrate. Xylan, starch and cellobiose produced ethanol and starch, cellobiose, galactose, arabinose and mannose produced lactic acid. Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene sequence comparison and genomic relatedness indices show the close relation of USBA-019 to Thermoanaerobacterium thermostercoris and Thermoanaerobacterium aotearoense (similarity value: 99%). Hybridization of USBA-019, Th. thermostercoris DSM22141 and Th. aotearoense DMS10170 found DNA-DNA relatedness of 33.2% and 18.2%, respectively. Based on phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic evidence, along with low identity at whole genome level, USBA-019 is a novel species of the genus Thermoanaerobacterium which we propose to name Thermoanaerobacterium butyriciformans sp. nov. The type strain is USBA-019 (=CMPUJ U-019=DSM 101588).