Pediococcus stilesii sp nov, isolated from maize grains

A Gram-positive, coccus-shaped, lactic acid bacterium, strain LMG 23082 (T), was isolated from steeped maize grains. The organism is homofermentative and produces D- and L-lactic acid from glucose. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis revealed that the organism belongs to the genus Pediococcus, with Pediococcus pentosaceus and Pediococcus acidilactici as nearest neighbours. Genotypic fingerprinting, whole-cell protein electrophoresis, DNA-DNA hybridizations and physiological and biochemical tests allowed differentiation of strain LMG 23082 T from other established Pediococcus species. A remarkable feature was that, unlike other pecliococci, this bacterium was capable of growth at pH 9.0. The strain studied represents a novel species for which the name Pediococcus stilesii sp. nov. is proposed with the type strain LMG 23082 T (= BFE 1652 (T) = FAIR-E 180(T) = CCUG 51290(T)), the only currently known isolate of the species.