Winogradskyella rapida sp. nov., isolated from protein-enriched seawater.

Flavobacteria are emerging as an important group of organisms associated with the degradation of complex organic matter in aquatic environments. A novel Gram-reaction-negative, heterotrophic, rod-shaped, aerobic, yellow-pigmented and gliding bacterium, strain SCB36T, was isolated from a protein-enriched seawater sample, collected at Scripps Pier, Southern California Bight (Eastern Pacific). Analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequence showed that the bacterium was related to members of the genus Winogradskyella within the family Flavobacteriaceae, phylum Bacteroidetes. 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity to the other Winogradskyella species was 94.5-97.1%. DNA-DNA relatedness between strain SCB36T and Winogradskyella thalassocola KMM 3907T, its closest relative in terms of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity, was 20%. On the basis of the phylogenetic and phenotypic data, strain SCB36T represents a novel species of the genus Winogradskyella, for which the name Winogradskyella rapida sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is SCB36T (=CECT 7392T=CCUG 56098T).