Bacillus thermocopriae sp. nov., isolated from a compost

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Bacterial Taxonomy
• Environmental Microbiology

Background:

• Compost environments harbor diverse microbial communities.
• Characterizing novel bacteria is crucial for understanding microbial ecosystems and potential applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To isolate and characterize a novel bacterial strain from a compost pile.
• To determine the taxonomic and phylogenetic placement of the novel strain using a polyphasic approach.

Main Methods:

• Isolation and cultivation of strain SgZ-7(T) from compost.
• Physicochemical characterization including growth conditions (NaCl, pH, temperature).
• Chemotaxonomic analysis (respiratory quinone, polar lipids, fatty acids) and genotypic analysis (DNA G+C content, 16S rRNA gene sequencing, DNA-DNA hybridization).

Main Results:

• Strain SgZ-7(T) is a Gram-positive, facultatively anaerobic, motile, endospore-forming rod.
• Optimal growth at 1% NaCl, pH 7.2, and 50°C, with a temperature range of 40-60°C.
• Phylogenetic analysis placed it within the Bacillus genus, closely related to Bacillus drentensis (97.2% 16S rRNA similarity), but DNA-DNA hybridization showed low relatedness (27.2%).

Conclusions:

• Strain SgZ-7(T) represents a distinct novel species, Bacillus thermocopriae sp. nov.
• The proposed type strain is SgZ-7(T) (= CCTCC AB 2012030(T) = KACC 16700(T)).
• This finding expands the known diversity of thermophilic Bacillus species found in composting environments.