Transfer of the waterfall source isolate Pectobacterium carotovorum M022 to Pectobacterium fontis sp. nov., a deep-branching species within the genus Pectobacterium

Pectobacterium carotovorum M022(T) has been isolated from a waterfall source in Selangor district (Malaysia). Using genomic and phenotypic tests, we re-examined the taxonomical position of this strain. Based on 14 concatenated housekeeping genes (fusA, rpoD, rpoS, acnA, purA, gyrB, recA, mdh, mtID, groEL, secY, glyA, gapA and rpIB), multi-locus sequence analysis revealed that strain M022(T) falls into a novel Glade separated from the other Pectobacterium species. The in silico DNA-DNA hybridization and average nucleotide identity values were lower than the 70 and 95% threshold values, respectively. In addition, by combining genomic and phenotypic tests, strain M022(T) may be distinguished from the other Pectobacterium isolates by its incapacity to grow on D(+)-xylose, L-rhamnose, cellobiose and lactose. Strain M022(T) (=CFBP 8629(T)=LMG 30744(T)) is proposed as the type strain of the Pectobacterium fontis sp. nov.