Acinetobacter qingfengensis sp. nov., isolated from canker bark of Populus x euramericana

Two Gram-negative, non-motile, rod-shaped bacterial strains, 2BJ1(T) and 2C-3-1, were isolated from canker bark of Populus × euramericana collected from different locations in Puyang City, Henan Province, China. The two strains were characterized using nutritional and physiological testing and DNA sequence analysis. They were found to produce acid from d-glucose. Haemolysis was not observed on agar medium supplemented with sheep erythrocytes. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA, rpoB and gyrB gene sequences revealed that the strains formed a distinct cluster with 100 % bootstrap support within the genus Acinetobacter in all phylogenetic trees. The phenotypic characteristics most useful for the differentiation of the two strains from other species of the genus Acinetobacter were their ability to grow at 41 °C and to assimilate malonate, phenylacetate and trigonelline. Based on phenotypic, genotypic and phylogenetic characteristics, the two strains are considered to represent a novel species of the genus Acinetobacter, for which the name Acinetobacter qingfengensis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is 2BJ1(T) ( = CFCC 10890(T) = KCTC 32225(T)).