Paenibacillus mendelii sp nov., from surfacesterilized seeds of Pisum sativum L.

A Gram-variable, facultatively anaerobic, endospore-forming bacterium was isolated from surface-sterilized seeds of the garden pea and characterized with phenotypic and molecular methods. A PCR with the Paenibacillus-specific primer PAEN515F and the 16S rRNA gene sequence indicated that strain C/2(T) belongs to the genus Paenibacillus and is closely related to Paenibacillus phyllosphaerae (94(.)0% sequence similarity). Strain C/2(T) generated a unique phenotypic profile, in particular for the production of acid from substrates. The DNA G+C content (50(.)8 mol%) and the major fatty acid (anteiso-C-15:0) are consistent with the genus Paenibacillus. DNA-DNA hybridization distinguished strain C/2(T) from other phylogenetically related Paenibacillus species and, therefore, strain C/2(T) (=CCM 4839(T)=LMG 23002(T)) is here described as the type strain of a novel species, for which the name Paenibacillus mendelii sp. nov. is proposed.