Paracoccus huijuniae sp. nov., an amide pesticide-degrading bacterium isolated from activated sludge of a wastewater biotreatment system
A facultatively anaerobic, non-spore-forming, non-motile, catalase- and oxidase-positive, Gram-reaction-negative, coccoid to short rod-shaped strain, designated FLN-7T, was isolated from activated sludge of a wastewater biotreatment facility. The strain was able to hydrolyse amide pesticides (e.g. diflubenzuron, propanil, chlorpropham and dimethoate) through amide bond cleavage. Strain FLN-7T grew at 4–42 °C (optimum 28 °C), at pH 5.0–8.0 (optimum pH 7.0) and with 0–5.0 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum 1.0 %). The major respiratory quinone was ubiquinone-10. The major cellular fatty acid was C18 : 1ω7c. The genomic DNA G+C content of strain FLN-7T was 66.4±0.5 mol%. The major polar lipids were phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylcholine and an unidentified glycolipid. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that strain FLN-7T was a member of the genus Paracoccus and showed highest 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities with Paracoccus aminovorans JCM 7685T (99.2 %), P. denitrificans DSM 413T (97.8 %), P. yeei CDC G1212T (97.3 %) and P. thiocyanatus THI 011T (97.1 %). Strain FLN-7T showed low DNA–DNA relatedness with P. aminovorans KACC 12261T (36.5±3.4 %), P. denitrificans KACC 12251T (30.5±2.6 %), P. yeei CCUG 46822T (26.2±2.4 %) and P. thiocyanatus KACC 13901T (15.5±0.9 %). Based on the phylogenetic analysis, DNA–DNA hybridization, whole-cell fatty acid composition and biochemical characteristics, strain FLN-7T was clearly distinguished from all recognized species of the genus Paracoccus and should be classified in a novel species, for which the name Paracoccus huijuniae sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is FLN-7T ( = KACC 16242T = ACCC 05690T).