Corynebacterium spheniscorum sp.nov. isolated from the cloacae of wild penguins

GOYACHE, J.; VELA, A.I.; COLLINS, M.D.; BALLESTEROS, C.; BRIONES, V.; MORENO, J.; YORIO, P.; DOMÍNGUEZ, L.; HUTSON, R.; FERNÁNDEZ-GARAYZÁBAL, J.F.

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SYSTEMATIC AND EVOLUTIONARY MICROBIOLOGY.

Año: 2003 vol. 53 p. 1 - 4

1466-5026

Twenty unidentified Gram-positive, rod-shaped organisms were recovered from the cloacae of apparently healthy wild penguins (Spheniscus magellanicus) and subjected to a polyphasic taxonomic analysis. On the basis of cellular morphology and biochemical criteria, the isolates were tentatively assigned to the genus Corynebacterium, although the organisms did not appear to correspond to any recognized species. Lipid studies confirmed this generic placement, and comparative 16S rRNA gene sequencing showed that the unidentified organisms represent a hitherto unknown subline, associated with a small subcluster of species that includes Corynebacterium diphtheriae and its close relatives. On the basis of phenotypic and phylogenetic evidence, it is proposed that the unknown isolates from penguins be classified in the genus Corynebacterium, as Corynebacterium spheniscorum sp. nov. The type strain is strain PG 39T (5CCUG 45512T5CECT 5986T).