sp. nov., a formate-oxidizing, organohalide-respiring bacterium isolated from grape pomace.

A strictly anaerobic, organohalide-respiring bacterium, designated strain GP, was characterized using a polyphasic approach. GP is Gram-stain-negative, non-spore-forming and non-motile. Cells are irregular cocci ranging between 0.6 and 0.9 µm in diameter. GP couples growth with the reductive dechlorination of 1,2-dichloroethane, vinyl chloride and all polychlorinated ethenes, except tetrachloroethene, yielding ethene and inorganic chloride as dechlorination end products. H and formate serve as electron donors for organohalide respiration in the presence of acetate as carbon source. Major cellular fatty acids include C, Cω9, C, C and C. On the basis of 16S rRNA gene phylogeny, GP is most closely related to NSZ-14 and IP3-3 with 99.8 and 97.4 % sequence identities, respectively. Genome-wide pairwise comparisons based on average nucleotide identity, average amino acid identity and digital DNA-DNA hybridization do not support the inclusion of GP in previously described species of the genus with validly published names. On the basis of phylogenetic, physiological and phenotypic traits, GP represents a novel species within the genus , for which the name sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is GP (= JCM 39172 = CGMCC 1.17861).