Characterization of Desulfomicrobium salsuginis sp. nov. and Desulfomicrobium aestuarii sp. nov., two new sulfate-reducing bacteria isolated from the Adour estuary (French Atlantic coast) with specific mercury methylation potentials.

Three strains of sulfate-reducing bacteria (ADR21, ADR26 and ADR28) were isolated from Adour estuary sediments (French South Atlantic coast). Cells of these isolates were rod-shaped, motile and stained Gram-negative. The 16S rRNA and dsrAB genes sequence analyses indicated that these three strains belonged to the genus Desulfomicrobium within the delta Proteobacteria, with Desulfomicrobium escambiense strain DSM10707T as their closest relative. According to phenotypic characteristics, strains ADR21 and ADR28 could be considered as members of the same species. The relatedness values, based on DNA-DNA hybridization studies, between strains ADR21/DSM10707T, ADR26/DSM10707T and ADR21/ADR26 ranged between 30.6-40.8%, 45.2-43.0% and 19.0-26.4%, respectively. Strains ADR21 and ADR28 grew well on lactate, fumarate, malate, formate, ethanol and H2/acetate in the presence of sulfate as an electron acceptor. Thiosulfate, nitrate, fumarate and DMSO were alternative electron acceptors. Malate was well fermented but pyruvate and fumarate only poorly. Strain ADR26 could not grow on ethanol or fumarate and was unable to use DMSO or fumarate as electron acceptors. The three new strains exhibited differences compared to the type strain of D. escambiense, such as temperature optima, substrate utilization and mercury methylation capacities. On the basis of both genetic and phenotypic evidences, strain ADR21 is proposed as the type strain of the species Desulfomicrobium salsuginis sp. nov., and strain ADR26 as the type strain of the species Desulfomicrobium aestuarii sp. nov.