Rodentibacter gen. nov including Rodentibacter pneumotropicus comb. nov., Rodentibacter heylii sp nov., Rodentibacter myodis sp nov., Rodentibacter ratti sp nov., Rodentibacter heidelbergensis sp nov., Rodentibacter trehalosifermentans sp nov., Rodentibacter rarus sp nov., Rodentibacter mrazii and two genomospecies

Rodentibacter gen. nov. is proposed based on isolation and phenotypic characterization of strains, predominantly from rodents. The strains showed 86% or higher rpoB gene sequence similarity and indicated a genus-level relationship within Pasteurellaceae. The strains compared at 16S rRNA gene sequence level showed 93.8% or higher similarity, and their genus-level relationship within Pasteurellaceae was confirmed by phenotypic analysis. The type species Rodentibacter pneumotropicus comb. nov. is reclassified from [Pasteurella] pneumotropica with type strain NCTC 8141(T) (=CCUG 12398(T)). Whole genomic comparison allowed the estimation of DNA-DNA renaturation. Rodentibacter heylii sp. nov. was proposed for a group that included the biovar Heyl of [Pasteurella] pneumotropica with the type strain ATCC 12555(T) (=CCUG 998 T). A group was proposed as Rodentibacter ratti sp. nov., which included the taxon 22 of Bisgaard; the type strain is F75(T) (=CCUG 69665 T =DSM 103977(T)). Taxon 41 of Bisgaard was proposed as Rodentibacter myodis sp. nov. with type strain Ac151(T) (=CCUG 69666 T =DSM 103994(T)). Rodentibacter heidelbergensis sp. nov. included the type strain 1996025094(T) (=Ac69(T)) (=CCUG 69667(T) =DSM 103978(T)). A group strains of was proposed as Rodentibacter trehalosifermentans sp. nov. with type strain H1987082031(T) (=CCUG 69668(T)=DSM 104075(T)). Two strains including the reference strain of taxon 17 of Bisgaard that showed 16S rRNA gene similarity of 97.3% were proposed as Rodentibacter rarus sp. nov. 2325/79(T) (=CCUG 17206(T) =DSM 103980(T)). Rodentibacter mrazii sp. nov. was proposed with type strain Ppn418(T) (Bisgaard taxon 21) (=CCUG 69669(T) =DSM 103979(T)). The eight species could be separated based on phenotypic characteristics such as NAD requirement, ornithine decarboxylase and indole formation, alpha-glucosidase, beta-galactosidase and in acid formation from (+)-L-arabinose, (-)-D-ribose, (+)-D-xylose, myo-inositol, (+)-D-mannitol, lactose, melibiose and trehalose. Forty-six strains including taxon 48 of Bisgaard formed a monophyletic group by rpoB and 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, but could not be separated phenotypically from R. pneumotropicus and R. heylii, and it was left as an unnamed genomospecies 1 of Rodentibacter with reference strain Ppn416. Another taxon that included 13 strains, mainly isolated from Apodemus sylvaticus, could not be separated phenotypically from R. pneumotropicus or R. heylii and was designated as genomospecies 2. Strain Ppn85 with 95% or less rpoB gene sequence similarity and with 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity of 97% or less to the other members of Rodentibacter was left as an unnamed singleton.