Salinibacterium hongtaonis sp. nov., isolated from faeces of Tibetan antelope (Pantholops hodgsonii) on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

Two novel aerobic, Gram-staining-positive and non-spore-forming bacterial strains, 194 and S1194, were isolated from faeces of Tibetan antelopes sampled at the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau of China. The strains were able to grow in medium up to 10 % NaCl, similar to the NaCl-resistant property of the genus Salinibacterium members. The 16S rRNA gene sequences of the strains showed the highest similarity to Salinibacterium xinjiangense(98.1-98.2 %), and phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that strains 194 and S1194 represent a new lineage. The DNA G+C contents of strain 194 and S1194 are 64.1 and 64.2 mol%. Their genomes exhibit less than 96 % average nucleotide identity and 70 % DNA-DNA relatedness to known species of Salinibacterium. Strains 194 and S1194 are unable to utilize d-mannose or produce naphthol-AS-BI-phosphohydrolase. The two strains had anteiso-C15 : 0 and anteiso-C17 : 0 as major fatty acids, and their cell walls contained lysine, alanine, glycine and glutamic acid. The predominant menaquinones identified were MK-11 and MK-10, with diphosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidylglycerol as major polar lipids. Overall, the major cellular content profiles of 194 agreed with those of Salinibacterium xinjiangense and Salinibacterium amurskyense, though the proportions were distinct. Based on genotypic, phenotypic and biochemical analyses, the novel species Salinibacterium hongtaonis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is 194 (=CGMCC 1.16371=DSM 106171).