Delftia tsuruhatensis sp nov., a terephthalate-assimilating bacterium isolated from activated sludge

A terephthalate-assimilating bacterium was isolated from activated sludge collected from a domestic wastewater treatment plant in Japan by enrichment with terephthalate as sole carbon source. The isolate, designated strain T7(T), was a Gram-negative, short rod-shaped micro-organism. A phylogenetic study based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that strain T7(T) should be placed in the genus Delftia. A DNA-DNA hybridization value of 69 % was determined between strain T7(T) and Delftia acidovorans ATCC 15668(T). Major cellular fatty acids of strain T7(T) were C-16;0, C-16:1 and C-18:1. Substantial amounts of cyclopropanoic acid (C-17:0), 3-OH C-10:0, C-12:0, C-15:0 and C-14:0 were also detected. The total DNA G + C content of strain T7(T) was 66.2 mol%. Strain T7(T) could utilize the following compounds as carbon sources: acetamide, beta-alanine, citrate, D-fructose, glycerol, isobutyrate, isophthalate, D(-)-mannitol, maleate, malonate, phenylacetate, propionate, protocatechuate, terephthalate, D-tryptophan and L-tryptophan. Comparisons of phenotypic and genotypic characteristics with other known species belonging to the genus Delftia suggest that strain T7 T represents a novel species, for which the name Delftia tsuruhatensis sp. nov. is proposed, strain T7(T) is the type strain (= IFO 16741(T) =ATCC BAA-554(T)).