Acetobacter suratthanensis sp. nov., an acetic acid bacterium isolated in Thailand

A Gram-negative, rod-shaped, and non-motile bacterium, designated as AI32 T , was isolated from a fruit in Surat Thani, the southern district of Thailand. Phylogenetic analyses of the 16S rRNA gene, 16S-23S rRNA gene ITS, and groEL gene sequences showed that the isolate formed a quite independent cluster located outside the clusters of Acetobacter peroxydans and Acetobacter papayae . Analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequence showed that the isolate was related to the type strains of A. peroxydans and A. papayae , respectively, with 99.4 % and 99.3 % similarities. The DNA G + C content of the isolate was 59.6 mol%. The isolate was positive in catalase test and showed no growth on ethanol in the presence of ammonium sulfate. The isolate produced only d -gluconic acid from d -glucose. The predominant fatty acid of isolate AI32 T was C 18:1 ω7C. Based on the results obtained in physiological and biochemical tests and in genotypic differences between the isolate and the type strains of the validly named species of the genus Acetobacter , the isolate is classified as a novel species, for which the name of Acetobacter suratthanensis sp. nov. is introduced. The type strain of the species is AI32 T (= BCC 26087 T = NBRC 111399 T ).