Streptomyces bangladeshensis sp. nov., isolated from soil, which produces bis-(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate

The taxonomic position of an actinomycete strain isolated from soil from Natore, Bangladesh, was examined by using a polyphasic approach. The strain, designated AAB-4(T), was assigned to the genus Streptomyces on the basis of chemical and morphological criteria. It formed Rectiflexibiles aerial hyphae that carried long chains of rounded spores. The 16S rRNA gene of strain AAB-4(T) was sequenced directly and then compared with those of previously studied streptomycetes following the generation of two phylogenetic trees by using maximum-likelihood and neighbour-joining algorithms. This confirmed the assignment of the novel strain to the genus Streptomyces. This strain showed a high level of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity to Streptomyces thermoviolaceus, Streptomyces thermodiastaticus and Streptomyces longisporus, among others, but could be distinguished from them by phenotypic and physiological traits. This micro-organism produces bis-(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate, an antibacterial and antifungal agent. It is proposed that strain AAB-4(T) be classified as a novel species within the genus Streptomyces, as Streptomyces bangladeshensis sp. nov. (type strain, AAB-4(T)=LMG 22738(T)=NRRL B-24326(T)).