Scardovia wiggsiae sp. nov., isolated from the human oral cavity and clinical material, and emended descriptions of the genus Scardovia and Scardovia inopinata

Six strains of anaerobic, pleomorphic Gram-positive bacilli, isolated from the human oral cavity and an infected arm wound, were subjected to a comprehensive range of phenotypic and genotypic tests and were found to comprise a homogeneous group. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis revealed that the isolates were most closely related to Scardovia inopinata CCUG 35729(T) (94.8-94.9% 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity). The isolates were saccharolytic and produced acetic and lactic acids as end products of fermentation. The major fatty acids were C-16:0 (49.8%) and C-18:1 omega 9(C)(35.8%). Polar lipid analysis revealed a variety of glycolipids, diphosphatidylglycerol, an unidentified phospholipid and an unidentified phosphoglycolipid. No respiratory quinones were detected. The peptidoglycan was of the type A4 alpha L-Lys-Thr-Glu, with L-lysine partially replaced by L-ornithine. The DNA G +C content of one of the strains, C1A_55(T), was 55 mol%. A novel species, Scardovia wiggsiae sp. nov., is proposed to accommodate the six isolates, with the type strain C1A_55(T) (=DSM 22547(T)=CCUG 58090(T)).