Corynebacterium sputi sp. nov., isolated from the sputum of a patient with pneumonia

A coryneform bacterium isolated from the sputum of a patient with pneumonia was characterized by phenotypic and molecular taxonomic methods. Chemotaxonomic investigations revealed the presence of cell-wall chemotype IV and short chain mycolic acids consistent with the genus Corynebacterium. Comparative 16S rRNA gene sequencing studies confirmed this assignment, with the organism forming a hitherto unknown subline within the genus associated with a subcluster containing Corynebacterium hansenii, Corynebacterium freneyi, Corynebacterium xerosis, Corynebacterium amycolatum and Corynebacterium sphenisci. Sequence divergence values of >2.7 % from established corynebacterial species suggested that the new isolate represented a novel species. This was also supported by the results of the biochemical tests. On the basis of phenotypic and phylogenetic evidence, it is proposed that the unknown bacterium be classified as a novel species of the genus Corynebacterium, Corynebacterium sputi sp. nov. (type strain IMMIB L-999(T)=DSM 45148(T)=CCUG 55795(T)).