Lactococcus Termiticola Sp. Nov., Isolated From The Gut Of The Wood-Feeding Higher Termite Nasutitermes Takasagoensis

A strain of lactic acid bacteria, designated NtB2(T), isolated from the gut of the wood-feeding higher termite Nasutitermes takasagoensis, was characterized genetically and phenotypically. Strain NtB2(T) was related to Lactococcus lactis subsp. tructae JCM 31125(T) isolated from brown trout, showing 93.2 and 81.0 % similarity in 16S rRNA gene and rpoB gene sequences, respectively. Furthermore, genomic comparisons using pairwise average nucleotide identity analysis and the Genome-toGenome Distance Calculator between strain NtB2(T) and L. lactis subsp. tructae JCM 31125(T) gave values of 81.0 and 23.2 %, respectively. Major cellular fatty acids produced by strain NtB2(T) were C-18:1 omega 9c and C-16:0. The cell-wall peptidoglycan type of strain NtB2 T was A3 alpha, Lys-Gly-Ser-Ala(2). Based on the data presented, the isolate represents a novel species of the genus Lactococcus, for which the name Lactococcus termiticola sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is NtB2(T) (=JCM 32569(T) =DSM 107259(T)).