Luteimonas composti sp. nov., a moderately thermophilic bacterium isolated from food waste.

A yellow-pigmented, Gram-negative, rod-shaped bacterium (strain CC-YY255(T)) was isolated from compost generated from food waste collected from Kinmen County, Taiwan. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis indicated that the strain formed a monophyletic branch at the periphery of the evolutionary radiation occupied by the genus Luteimonas; its closest neighbour was the type strain of Luteimonas mephitis (94.4 % sequence similarity). The isolate was distinguished from Luteimonas mephitis on the basis of several phenotypic properties. The organism utilized glucose, maltose, gentiobiose, melibiose and turanose and only a few organic acids (acetate, propionate) and amino acids (L-alanyl glycine, glycyl L-aspartic acid and glycyl L-glutamic acid) as substrates. The fatty acid profile was slightly different from that reported for Luteimonas mephitis. It is evident from the genotypic, chemotaxonomic and physiological data presented that strain CC-YY255(T) represents a novel species of the genus Luteimonas, for which the name Luteimonas composti sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is CC-YY255(T) (=CCUG 53595(T)=CIP 109311(T)=BCRC 17598(T)).