ARHODOMONAS-AQUAEOLEI GEN-NOV, SP-NOV, AN AEROBIC, HALOPHILIC BACTERIUM ISOLATED FROM A SUBTERRANEAN BRINE

Arhodomonas aquaeoki gen. nov., sp. nov., isolated from a petroleum reservoir production fluid, is described. The single isolate was an obligately halophilic, aerobic, gram-negative, oval rod-shaped bacterium that was actively motile by means of a single polar flagellum. It was catalase and oxidase positive. The isolate had a specific requirement for NaCl; growth occurred at NaCl concentrations between 6 and 20% and optimal growth occurred in the presence of 15% NaCl. This species metabolized primarily organic acids and required biotin for growth. The name Arhodomonas is proposed for the new genus, which was placed in the gamma subclass of the Proteobacteria on the basis of the results of a 16S rRNA sequence analysis. Although A. aquaeolei is most closely related to purple sulfur bacteria (the genera Ectothiorhodospira and Chromatium), it is not a phototrophic microorganism, which is consistent with its isolation from a subterranean environment. The major components of its cellular fatty acids were C16:09 C18:1, C19:09 C16:1, and C18:0 acids. The DNA base composition of the type strain is 67 mol% G+C. The type and only strain is strain RA-1 (= ATCC 49307).