Bacillus thiaminolyticus sp. nov., nom. rev.

Area of Science:

• Bacteriology
• Microbial Taxonomy
• Genetics

Background:

• The bacterial name "Bacillus thiaminolyticus" Kuno 1951 is not on the Approved Lists of Bacterial Names, thus lacking standing in current bacteriological nomenclature.
• Previous classifications suggested a synonymy between "Bacillus thiaminolyticus" and Bacillus alvei, necessitating further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To genetically and phenotypically assess the homogeneity of "Bacillus thiaminolyticus" strains.
• To determine the taxonomic relationship of "Bacillus thiaminolyticus" to other Bacillus species.
• To provide evidence for the potential revival of the name "Bacillus thiaminolyticus".

Main Methods:

• Guanine-plus-cytosine (G+C) content determination using the buoyant density method.
• DNA relatedness measurement via spectrophotometric reassociation procedures.
• Assessment of 49 phenotypic characteristics across 26 strains.

Main Results:

• Twenty-four of 26 studied strains exhibited G+C content between 52-54 mol%.
• High DNA relatedness (60-100%) among these 24 strains indicated genetic homogeneity within the "B. thiaminolyticus" group.
• Low DNA relatedness (20-31%) confirmed genetic dissimilarity to Bacillus alvei and other related species.
• The "B. thiaminolyticus" group demonstrated homogeneity for 49 phenotypic traits and was distinguishable from B. alvei.

Conclusions:

• The "Bacillus thiaminolyticus" group is genetically homogeneous.
• "Bacillus thiaminolyticus" is genetically distinct from Bacillus alvei and other related species.
• The findings support the revival of the name "Bacillus thiaminolyticus" in bacteriological nomenclature.