Bifidobacterium tsurumiense sp. nov., from hamster dental plaque.

Three novel micro-organisms, designated strains OMB115(T), OMB118 and OMB120, were isolated from dental plaque from golden hamsters fed with a high-carbohydrate diet. The three strains were Gram-positive, facultatively anaerobic rods that lacked catalase activity. Analysis of their partial 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that these isolates belonged to the genus Bifidobacterium. They grew under aerobic conditions and each had a DNA G+C content of 53 mol%. On the basis of phylogenetic analyses involving phenotypic characterization and partial 16S rRNA gene sequencing, strain OMB115(T) represents a novel species of the genus Bifidobacterium, for which the name Bifidobacterium tsurumiense sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is OMB115(T) (=JCM 13495(T) =DSM 17777(T)).