Defluviitoga tunisiensis gen. nov., sp nov., a thermophilic bacterium isolated from a mesothermic and anaerobic whey digester

Strain SulfLac1(T), a thermophilic, anaerobic and slightly halophilic, rod-shaped bacterium with a sheath-like outer structure (toga), was isolated from a whey digester in Tunisia. The strain's non-motile cells measured 3-30x1 mu m and appeared singly, in pairs or as long chains. The novel strain reduced thiosulfate and elemental sulfur, but not sulfate or sulfite, into sulfide. It grew at 37-65 degrees C (optimum 55 degrees C), at pH 6.5-7.9 (optimum pH 6.9) and with 0.2-3% (w/v) NaCl (optimum 0.5 %). The G +C content of the strain's genomic DNA was 33.6 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that strain SulfLac1(T) was most closely related to Petrotoga mobilis (91.4% sequence similarity). Based on phenotypic, phylogenetic and chemotaxonomic evidence, strain SulfLac1(T) represents a novel species of a new genus within the order Thermotogales, for which the name Defluviitoga tunisiensis gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain of the type species is SulfLac1(T) (=DSM 23805(T) =JCM 17210(T)).