Rhizobium alvei sp. nov., isolated from a freshwater river

A bacterial strain designated TNR-22(T) was isolated from a freshwater river in Taiwan and characterized using a polyphasic taxonomic approach. Cells of strain TNR-22(T) were facultatively anaerobic, Gram-stain-negative, rod-shaped, motile by a single polar flagellum and formed cream-coloured colonies. Growth occurred at 4-45 °C (optimum, 25-30 °C), with 0-1.0 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 0.5 %) and at pH 7.0-8.0 (optimum, pH 7.0). Strain TNR-22(T) did not form nodules on Macroptilium atropurpureum. The nifH gene encoding denitrogenase reductase was not detected by PCR. The major fatty acids (>10 %) of strain TNR-22(T) were C18 : 1ω7c and C16 : 0. The DNA G+C content was 60.3 mol%. The polar lipid profile consisted of a mixture of phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylcholine, diphosphatidylglycerol, an uncharacterized aminoglycolipid and an uncharacterized phospholipid. Comparative analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain TNR-22(T) constituted a distinct branch within the genus Rhizobium, showing the highest level of sequence similarity with Rhizobium rosettiformans W3(T) (96.3 %). Phenotypic characteristics of the novel strain also differed from those of the most closely related species of the genus Rhizobium. On the basis of the genotypic, chemotaxonomic and phenotypic data, strain TNR-22(T) represents a novel species in the genus Rhizobium, for which the name Rhizobium alvei sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is TNR-22(T) ( = BCRC 80408(T) = LMG 26895(T) = KCTC 23919(T)).