Classification of three corynebacterial strains isolated from the Northern Bald Ibis (): proposal of sp. nov., sp. nov., and sp. nov.

Three Gram-stain-positive, rod-to-coccoid-shaped, catalase-positive and non-motile bacterial strains isolated from the choanae of a Northern bald ibis, designated strains 200CH, W8 and 812CH, respectively, were subjected to comprehensive taxonomic characterization. The three strains were oxidase-negative. The 16S rRNA gene sequence of 200CH showed highest similarities to 410 (96.7 %) followed by DSM 44202, NCTC 7910 and CIP 102968 (each 96.3 %). Strains W8 and 812CH both showed highest 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities to 136/3 (98.0 and 99.9 %, respectively). Comparison of the partial housekeeping gene sequence of showed higher sequence similarities of 812CH to (95.8 %) than W8 (90.9 %) which was also confirmed by corresponding amino acid sequences. In both, gene and corresponding protein sequence strain 200CH showed low sequence similarities to 410(81.6 and 87.4 %, respectively). Strains 812CH and W8 had 76.7 % ANI similarity to each other and 88.2 and 76.4 % to 136/3, respectively. DNA-DNA hybridization values for 812CH and W8 were 22.1 % among the two strains and 35.3 and 21.7 % to 136/3, respectively. These data not only demonstrate that strain W8 is a representative of a novel species, but despite the high 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity to , strain 812CH is also a representative of another novel species. All three strains possessed corynemycolic acids and contained -diaminopimelic acid as the diagnostic diamino acid of the peptidoglycan. The two strains, 200CH and W8, are distinguished from each other and established species phylogenetically and phenotypically. In conclusion, three novel species of the genus are proposed, namely 812CH (=LMG 30627=CCM 8832) 200CH (=LMG 30628=CCM 8831) and W8 (=LMG 30629=CCM 8833), respectively.