Flavobacterium petrolei sp. nov., a novel psychrophilic, diesel-degrading bacterium isolated from oil-contaminated Arctic soil

This study presents taxonomic description of two novel diesel-degrading, psychrophilic strains: Kopri-42(T) and Kopri-43, isolated during screening of oil-degrading psychrotrophs from oil-contaminated Arctic soil. A preliminary 16S rRNA gene sequence and phylogenetic tree analysis indicated that these Arctic strains belonged to the genus Flavobacterium, with the nearest relative being Flavobacterium psychrolimnae LMG 22018(T) (98.9% sequence similarity). The pairwise 16S rRNA gene sequence identity between strains Kopri-42(T) and Kopri-43 was 99.7%. The DNA-DNA hybridization value between strain Kopri-42(T) and Kopri-43 was 88.6 ± 2.1% indicating that Kopri-42(T) and Kopri-43 represents two strains of the same genomospecies. The average nucleotide identity and in silico DNA-DNA hybridization values between strain Kopri-42(T) and nearest relative F. psychrolimnae LMG 22018(T) were 92.4% and 47.9%, respectively. These values support the authenticity of the novel species and confirmed the strain Kopri-42(T) belonged to the genus Flavobacterium as a new member. The morphological, physiological, biochemical and chemotaxonomic data also distinguished strain Kopri-42(T) from its closest phylogenetic neighbors. Based on the polyphasic data, strains Kopri-42(T) and Kopri-43 represents a single novel species of the genus Flavobacterium, for which the name Flavobacterium petrolei sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is Kopri-42(T) (=KEMB 9005-710(T) = KACC 19625(T) = NBRC 113374(T)).