Thalassomonas loyana sp nov, a causative agent of the white plague-like disease of corals on the Eilat coral reef

The taxonomic position of the coral pathogen strain CBMAI 722(T) was determined on the basis of molecular and phenotypic data. We clearly show that the novel isolate CBMAI 722 T is a member of the family Colwelliaceae, with Thalassomonas ganghwensis as the nearest neighbour (95% 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity). CBMAI 722(T) can be differentiated from its nearest neighbour on the basis of phenotypic and chemotaxonomic features, including the utilization of cellobiose and L-arginine, the production of alginase and amylase, but not oxidase, and the presence of the fatty acids 12:0 3-OH and 14:0, but not 10:0 or 15:0. The DNA G + C content of CBMAI 722(T) is 39.3 mol%. We conclude that this strain represents a novel species for which we propose the name Thalassomonas loyana sp. nov., with the type strain CBMAI 722(T) (=LMG 22536(T)). This is the first report of the involvement of a member of the family Colwelliaceae in coral white plague-like disease.