Enterococcus saccharominimus sp. nov., from dairy products
Four isolates, which were obtained from Belgian, Moroccan and Romanian dairy products, constituted a homogeneous but unidentified taxon after screening with whole-cell protein fingerprinting. Complete 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis classified representative strains in the genus Enterococcus. Highest sequence similarities of 98·6 and 98·0 % were obtained with the species Enterococcus sulfureus and Enterococcus saccharolyticus, respectively. Growth characteristics, biochemical features, tRNA intergenic length polymorphism analysis, DNA–DNA hybridization and DNA G+C contents of selected strains demonstrated that they represent a single, novel Enterococcus species. It differs phenotypically from other enterococci in characteristics commonly considered as typical of this genus: no growth in 6·5 % NaCl or 0·4 % sodium azide, and no acid production from a wide range of carbohydrates. The name Enterococcus saccharominimus sp. nov. is proposed for this novel species; the type strain (LMG 21727T=CCM 7220T) was isolated from contaminated pasteurized cow's milk.