Streptococcus waius sp. nov., a thermophilic Streptococcus from a biofilm

Thermophilic streptococci were isolated from biofilms on stainless steel samples exposed to pasteurized skimmed milk and from dairy products from a dairy manufacturing plant. The phenotypic characters of these isolates were distinct from those of other thermophilic streptococci of dairy origin (Streptococcus thermophilus and Streptococcus bovis). Genotypic data [restriction endonuclease analysis, ribotyping, random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) profiles, DNA-DNA hybridization and G + C contents] support the classification of these isolates as a new species. The sequence of the 16S rRNA was compared with that of 29 species of streptococci and shown to be significantly different. The sequence of the 16S-23S rRNA intergenic spacer region also differed from published sequences of closely related species. A fluorescent in situ hybridization probe prepared to a specific part of the 16S rRNA gene sequence was able to distinguish the unknown isolates from reference isolates of S. thermophilus and S. bovis. It is proposed that these thermophilic streptococcal isolates from a dairy environment be classified in the genus Streptococcus as a new species, Streptococcus waius (from waiu, the New Zealand Maori word for milk). The type strain is 3/1T (= NZRCC 20100T).