Delftia tsuruhatensis sp. nov., a terephthalate-assimilating bacterium isolated from activated sludge

A terephthalate-assimilating bacterium was isolated from activated sludge collected from a domestic wastewater treatment plant in Japan by enrichment with terephthalate as sole carbon source. The isolate, designated strain T7(T), was a Gram-negative, short rod-shaped micro-organism. A phylogenetic study based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that strain T7(T) should be placed in the genus DELFTIA: A DNA-DNA hybridization value of 69 % was determined between strain T7(T) and Delftia acidovorans ATCC 15668(T). Major cellular fatty acids of strain T7(T) were C(16 : 0), C(16 : 1) and C(18 : 1). Substantial amounts of cyclopropanoic acid (C(17 : 0)), 3-OH C(10 : 0), C(12 : 0), C(15 : 0) and C(14 : 0) were also detected. The total DNA G+C content of strain T7(T) was 66.2 mol%. Strain T7(T) could utilize the following compounds as carbon sources: acetamide, beta-alanine, citrate, D-fructose, glycerol, isobutyrate, isophthalate, D(-)-mannitol, maleate, malonate, phenylacetate, propionate, protocatechuate, terephthalate, D-tryptophan and L-tryptophan. Comparisons of phenotypic and genotypic characteristics with other known species belonging to the genus Delftia suggest that strain T7(T) represents a novel species, for which the name Delftia tsuruhatensis sp. nov. is proposed; strain T7(T) is the type strain (=IFO 16741(T)=ATCC BAA-554(T)).