Desulfotomaculum peckii sp. nov., a moderately thermophilic member of the genus
Desulfotomaculum
, isolated from an upflow anaerobic filter treating abattoir wastewaters
A novel anaerobic thermophilic sulfate-reducing bacterium designated strain LINDBHT1T was isolated from an anaerobic digester treating abattoir wastewaters in Tunisia. Strain LINDBHT1T grew at temperatures between 50 and 65 °C (optimum 55–60 °C), and at pH between 5.9 and 9.2 (optimum pH 6.0–6.8). Strain LINDBHT1T required salt for growth (1–40 g NaCl l−1), with an optimum of 20–30 g l−1. In the presence of sulfate as terminal electron acceptor, strain LINDBHT1T used H2/CO2, propanol, butanol and ethanol as carbon and energy sources but fumarate, formate, lactate and pyruvate were not utilized. Butanol was converted to butyrate, while propanol and ethanol were oxidized to propionate and acetate, respectively. Sulfate, sulfite and thiosulfate were utilized as terminal electron acceptors but elemental sulfur, iron (III), fumarate, nitrate and nitrite were not used. The G+C content of the genomic DNA was 44.4 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis of the small-subunit rRNA gene sequence indicated that strain LINDBHT1T was affiliated to the genus Desulfotomaculum with the type strains of Desulfotomaculum halophilum and Desulfotomaculum alkaliphilum as its closest phylogenetic relatives (about 89 % similarity). This strain represents a novel species of the genus Desulfotomaculum , Desulfotomaculum peckii sp. nov.; the type strain is LINDBHT1T ( = DSM 23769T = JCM 17209T).