Meiothermus rufus sp. nov., a new slightly thermophilic red-pigmented species and emended description of the genus Meiothermus

• Published in: Systematic and applied microbiology Vol. 32; no. 5; pp. 306 - 313
• Main Authors: Albuquerque, Luciana, Ferreira, Catarina, Tomaz, David, Tiago, Igor, Veríssimo, António, da Costa, Milton S., Nobre, M. Fernanda
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: München Elsevier GmbH 01-08-2009; Elsevier
• Subjects: Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Bacteria - chemistry; Bacteria - classification; Bacteria - growth & development; Bacteria - isolation & purification; Bacterial Physiological Phenomena; Bacterial Typing Techniques; Bacteriology; Biological and medical sciences; Cluster Analysis; DNA, Bacterial - chemistry; DNA, Bacterial - genetics; DNA, Ribosomal - chemistry; DNA, Ribosomal - genetics; Fatty Acids - analysis; France; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Glycolipids - analysis; Hot Springs - microbiology; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Lipids; M. rufus sp. nov; Meiothermus; Microbial ecology; Microbiology; Molecular Sequence Data; Phylogeny; Pigments, Biological - biosynthesis; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S - genetics; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Systematics; Taxonomy; Temperature; Thermaceae; Various environments (extraatmospheric space, air, water); France; Lipids; Meiothermus; Thermaceae; Taxonomy; M. rufus sp. nov; Description; Thermophily; M; rufus sp; Glycolipid; nov; Pigments; Bacteria; New species; Hot source
• ISSN: 0723-2020; 1618-0984
• DOI: 10.1016/j.syapm.2009.05.002

Four red-pigmented isolates, with optimum growth temperatures of approximately 55–60
°C and an optimum pH for growth between 7.5 and 8.5, were recovered from hot springs in Central France. Phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that these organisms represented a new species of the genus
Meiothermus. The new isolates could be distinguished from other strains of the species of the genus
Meiothermus primarily by the glycolipid profile and fatty acid composition because these organisms lacked the hydroxy fatty acids and the glycolipid variant GL-1a found in all other isolates of the species of
Meiothermus examined. On the basis of the results presented here we propose the name
Meiothermus rufus for the new species, which is represented by strains CAL-4
T (=DSM 22234
T=LMG 24878
T) and CAL-12 (=DSM 22235=LMG 24879). We also propose emending the genus
Meiothermus to include strains that have only one glycolipid instead of two glycolipid variants.