Enterococcus hermanniensis sp. nov., from modified-atmosphere-packaged broiler meat and canine tonsils

Isolates 302, 334, 356, 377 and 379, detected in modified-atmosphere-packaged broiler meat, together with strains LMG 12317T and LMG 13617, detected in dog tonsils, were analysed in a polyphasic taxonomy study, including numerical analysis of ribopatterns and whole-cell protein patterns, 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, DNA-DNA hybridization and determination of some phenotypic properties. The results indicated that these isolates represent a novel species in the genus Enterococcus. The isolates showed classical phenotypic reactions for the genus Enterococcus with the exception of not possessing the Lancefield group D antigen. Isolates 334, LMG 12317T and LMG 13617 showed the highest 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity (98.3-99.0 %) to the Enterococcus pallens type strain. In the distance matrix tree based on 16S rRNA gene sequences, the three isolates were located in the Enterococcus avium group with E. pallens as their closest phylogenetic neighbour. Numerical analyses of whole-cell protein patterns and HindIII/EcoRI ribotypes placed all seven isolates together in a single cluster separated from the E. avium group reference strains. The DNA-DNA hybridization level between strains 334 and LMG 12317T was 93.5 %, confirming that they represent the same species. Low hybridization levels (12-30 %) were, by contrast, obtained with the E. pallens and Enterococcus raffinosus type strains. The name Enterococcus hermanniensis sp. nov. is proposed, with strain LMG 12317T (= CCUG 48100T) as the type strain.