Oceanobacillus kimchii sp. nov. isolated from a traditional Korean fermented food.

A moderate halophile, strain X50(T), was isolated from mustard kimchi, a traditional Korean fermented food. The organism grew under conditions ranging from 0-15.0% (w/v) NaCl (optimum: 3.0%), pH 7.0-10.0 (optimum: pH 9.0) and 15-45°C (optimum: 37°C). The morphological, physiological, and biochemical features and the 16S rRNA gene sequences of strain X50(T) were characterized. Colonies of the isolate were creamcolored and the cells were rod-shaped. Phylogenetic analysis based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence indicated that strain X50(T) belongs to the genus Oceanobacillus and is closely related phylogenetically to the type strain O. iheyensis HTE831(T) (98.9%) and O. oncorhynchi subsp. oncorhynchi R-2(T) (97.0%). The cellular fatty acid profiles predominately included anteiso-C(15:0) and iso-C(15:0). The G+C content of the genomic DNA of the isolate was 37.9 mol% and the major isoprenoid quinone was MK-7. Analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequences, DNA-DNA relatedness and physiological and biochemical tests indicated genotypic and phenotypic differences among strain X50(T) and reference species in the genus Oceanobacillus. Therefore, strain X50(T) was proposed as a novel species and named Oceanobacillus kimchii. The type strain of the new species is X50(T) (=JCM 16803(T) =KACC 14914(T) =DSM 23341(T)).