Microbulbifer salipaludis sp. nov., a moderate halophile isolated from a Korean salt marsh

A Gram-negative, non-motile, non-spore-forming, moderately halophilic rod (strain SM-1T) was isolated from salt marsh around the junction of the Youngsan River and the Yellow Sea in Korea and subjected to a polyphasic taxonomic study. This organism grew optimally at 37 degrees C and was able to grow at 10 and 45 degrees C. It grew optimally in the presence of 2-3% (w/v) NaCl. The major fatty acids in strain SM-1T were iso-C15:0 and C16:0. Strain SM-1T and Microbulbifer hydrolyticus DSM 11525T were characterized by having ubiquinone-8 as the predominant respiratory lipoquinone. The DNA G+C content of strain SM-1T was 59 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rDNA sequences showed that strain SM-1T formed a coherent cluster with M. hydrolyticus; this relationship was supported by a bootstrap resampling value of 100%. The level of 16S rDNA identity between strain SM-1T and the type strain of M. hydrolyticus was 98.6%. The mean level of DNA-DNA relatedness between strain SM-1T and the type strain of M. hydrolyticus was 20.6%. Therefore, on the basis of phenotypic properties, phylogeny and genomic data, strain SM-1T should be placed in the genus Microbulbifer as a member of a novel species, for which the name Microbulbifer salipaludis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain of the novel species is strain SM-1T (=KCCM 41586T =JCM 11542T).