Actinomadura fibrosa sp. nov. isolated from soil

A new species of the genus Actinomadura which belongs to the Actinomadura madurae group of Goodfellow et al. was isolated from soil collected in Togo, West Africa. Traditional taxonomic methods plus contemporary fatty acid analysis techniques were used to establish the position of this species. Both physiological characteristics and fatty acid composition differentiate this strain from previously described species. This culture produces a new polyether antibiotic. It is characterized by the production of white to pink aerial hyphae on a limited number of media. The aerial hyphae appear asporogenous, forming thick fibers and projections instead of true spores. The reverse side is a distinctive reddish orange. This organism is resistant to 5% NaCl and grows at temperatures between 20 and 45 degrees C. Whole cells contain meso-diaminopimelic acid, galactose, glucose, mannose, madurose, phosphatidylinositol, and diphosphatidylglycerol. The menaquinones detected were MK-9(H6) and minor amounts of MK-9(H8). The name proposed for this new species is Actinomadura fibrosa; the type strain is strain NRRL 18348.