Enterococcus Saigonensis Sp Nov., Isolated From Retail Chicken Meat And Liver

Two Gram-stain-positive strains, VE80(T) and VE116, which were resistant to vancomycin, were isolated from retail chicken meat and liver in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam, respectively. These strains were characterized by sequence analyses of 16S rRNA, RNA polymerase alpha-subunit (rpoA), ATP synthase alpha-subunit (atpA), and phenylalanyl-tRNA synthase alpha-subunit (pheS) genes, determination of DNA G+C content, cellular fatty acid methyl ester analysis, DNA-DNA hybridization, and conventional morphological and biochemical tests. Strains VE80 T and VE116 had 99.6% 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity with Enterococcus canintestini LMG 13590(T), and 99.1% 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity with Enterococcus dispar ATCC 51266(T). However, the two isolates could be clearly differentiated from these reference strains by the low sequence similarities (86.1-86.8 %) of the atpA gene, low DNA-DNA relatedness (< 22.8 %), and differences in the production of acid from melezitose and methyl alpha-D-glucoside. Based on the results obtained in the present study, these two isolates are considered to represent a novel species of the genus Enterococcus, for which the name Enterococcus saigonensis sp. nov., is proposed. The type strain is VE80(T) (=JCM 31193(T) =CCUG 68827(T)).