Prevotella micans sp. nov., isolated from the human oral cavity.

Four strains of anaerobic Gram-negative bacilli isolated from the human mouth were characterized using a variety of phenotypic and genotypic tests. The strains were found to comprise a homogeneous group and 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis revealed them to be distinct from but related to a loose cluster of Prevotella species including Prevotella buccalis, Prevotella nanceiensis and Prevotella marshii. A novel species, Prevotella micans sp. nov., is proposed to accommodate these strains. Prevotella micans is saccharolytic and produces acetic, isovaleric and succinic acids and minor amounts of isobutyric acid as end products of fermentation. The G+C content of the DNA of the type strain is 46 mol%. The type strain of Prevotella micans is E7.56(T) (=DSM 21469(T )=CCUG 56105(T)).