Pedobacter caeni sp. nov., a novel species isolated from a nitrifying inoculum
A Gram-negative, rod-shaped, non-spore-forming bacterium was isolated from a nitrifying inoculum. On the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity, LMG 22862T was shown to belong to the family Sphingobacteriaceae, related to Pedobacter africanus (98·0 %) and Pedobacter heparinus (97·6 %). The results of 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, DNA–DNA hybridization, SDS-PAGE, analysis of the fatty acid composition and physiological and biochemical tests allowed genotypic and phenotypic differentiation of LMG 22862T from Pedobacter species with validly published names. LMG 22862T therefore represents a novel species within this genus, for which the name Pedobacter caeni sp. nov. is proposed, with the type strain LMG 22862T (=DSM 16990T).