Kineosphaera limosa gen. nov., sp. nov., a novel Gram-positive polyhydroxyalkanoate-accumulating coccus isolated from activated sludge.

A high-G+C gram-positive, motile, non-spore-forming coccus capable of accumulating significant amounts of polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) was isolated from an inefficient biological phosphorus removal activated sludge reactor. The cell wall of strain Lpha5T was characterized by the presence of meso-diaminopimelic acid, menaquinone MK-8(H4) and a complex fatty-acid pattern consisting of C16:0 and at least five other major straight-chain saturated and unsaturated fatty acids. Strain Lpha5T also had a high G+C content (71.3 mol%). The nearest phylogenetic relative of strain Lpha5T, based on 16S rDNA sequence analysis, was the high-G+C gram-positive bacterium Dermatophilus congolensis (similarity value of 94%), of the family Dermatophilaceae, class Actinobacteria. As strain Lpha5T was distinct from D. congolensis in its morphological, phenotypical (i.e. its PHA-accumulating ability and fatty-acid profile) and genetic traits (phylogeny and G+C content), it is proposed that strain Lpha5T be designated as the type species of a novel genus within the Dermatophilaceae. The name Kineosphaera limosa is proposed for strain Lpha5T (= JCM 11399T = DSM 14548T).