Gordonia otitidis sp. nov., isolated from a patient with external otitis.

The taxonomic positions of two clinically isolated actinomycetes were established using a polyphasic approach. The two strains, IFM 10032(T), isolated from ear discharge of a 28-year-old Japanese female patient with external otitis, and IFM 10148, isolated from pleural fluid of a 60-year-old Japanese male patient with bronchitis, possessed meso-diaminopimelic acid as the diagnostic amino acid, MK-9(H(2)) as the predominant menaquinone and mycolic acids ranging from 58 to 64 carbons. The 16S rRNA gene sequences of the two strains were most closely related to those of Gordonia aichiensis, Gordonia sputi and 'Gordonia jacobaea'. Differences in several phenotypic characteristics together with genotypic distinctiveness distinguish strains IFM 10032(T) and IFM 10148 from these three species. DNA-DNA hybridization results and the combination of genotypic and phenotypic data showed that the two strains belong to a single species, and merit recognition of a novel species within the genus Gordonia. The name proposed for this taxon is Gordonia otitidis sp. nov.; the type strain is IFM 10032(T) (=DSM 44809(T)=JCM 12355(T)=NBRC 100426(T)).