Halomonas organivorans sp. nov., a moderate halophile able to degrade aromatic compounds.

A group of moderately halophilic bacteria able to degrade aromatic organic compounds contaminating hypersaline habitats in southern Spain have been isolated and characterized. The taxonomic position of these strains was determined using phenotypic, phylogenetic and genotypic methods. The G + C content of their DNA ranged from 61.0 to 62.9 mol%. DNA-DNA hybridization studies showed that they constitute a genospecies, having DNA-DNA hybridization values of 90-100 %. Analysis of the complete 16S rRNA gene sequence revealed a high level of similarity with members of the genus Halomonas, sharing 98 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity with the type strains of Halomonas salina and Halomonas halophila. However, phenotypic differences and the low level of DNA-DNA hybridization suggest the placement of these strains as a novel species within the genus Halomonas. The name Halomonas organivorans sp. nov. is proposed, with strain G-16.1T (= CECT 5995T = CCM 7142T) as the type strain. This novel species of Halomonas is characterized by its ability to use a wide range of organic compounds (benzoic acid, p-hydroxybenzoic acid, cinnamic acid, salicylic acid, phenylacetic acid, phenylpropionic acid, phenol, p-coumaric acid, ferulic acid and p-aminosalicylic acid), and it could be useful for the decontamination of polluted saline habitats.