Emended description of the genus Phytobacter, its type species Phytobacter diazotrophicus (Zhang 2008) and description of Phytobacter ursingii sp nov.

The species Phytobacter diazotrophicus and the associated genus Phytobacter were originally described by Zhang et al. [Arch Microbiol 189 (2008), 431-439] on the basis of few endophytic nitrogen-fixing bacteria isolated from wild rice (Oryza rufipogon) in China. In this study, we demonstrate that a number of clinical isolates that were either described in the literature, preserved in culture collections, or obtained during a 2013 multi-state sepsis outbreak in Brazil also belong to the same genus. 16S rRNA gene sequencing, multilocus sequence analysis based on gyrB, rpoB, atpD and infB genes, as well as digital DNA-DNA hybridization support the existence of a second species within the genus Phytobacter. All isolates from the recent Brazilian outbreak, along with some older American clinical strains, were found to belong to the already described species Phytobacter diazotrophicus, whereas three clinical strains retrieved in the USA over a time span of almost four decades, could be assigned to a new Phytobacter species. Implementation of an extended set of biochemical tests showed that the two Phytobacter species could phenotypically be discriminated from each other by the ability to utilize L-sorbose and D-serine. This feature was limited to the strains of the novel species described herein, for which the name Phytobacter ursingii sp. nov. is proposed, with ATCC 27989(T) (=CNCTC 5729(T)) as the designated type strain. An emended description of the species Phytobacter diazotrophicus and of the genus Phytobacter is also provided.