Listeria rocourtiae sp. nov.

A Listeria-like strain isolated in Austria from pre-cut lettuce fitted the description of the genus Listeria although it could not be assigned to any of the known species. Comparison of the rrs gene (encoding 16S rRNA) sequence and gene content by DNA-array indicated affiliation to the genus Listeria. Phylogenetic distance from known species of the genus Listeria indicated that it represents a novel species. Since it can be differentiated from all other known species of the genus Listeria by using phenotypic tests, the name Listeria rocourtiae sp. nov. is proposed for the novel species. The type strain is CIP 109804(T) (=DSM 22097(T) =Allerberger 700284/02(T)). The type strain is avirulent as assessed by cell culture assays and inoculation of mice.