Staphylococcus caledonicus sp. nov. and Staphylococcus canis sp. nov. isolated from healthy domestic dogs

Two strains, H8/1(T) and H16/1A(T), of Gram-stain-positive, coagulase-negative staphylococci were isolated from separate healthy domestic dogs in Scotland. Both strains were genome sequenced and their inferred DNA–DNA hybridisation indicates that H8/1(T) and H16/1A(T) represent two novel species of the genus Staphylococcus. On the basis of the results of genome sequence analysis (genome blast distance phylogeny and single nucleotide polymorphism analysis) H8/1(T) is most closely related to Staphylococcus devriesei and H16/1A(T) most closely related to Staphylococcus felis. Also, average nucleotide identity distinguished H8/1(T) and H16/1A(T) from S. devriesei and S. felis as did minor phenotypic differences. On the basis of these results, it is proposed that H8/1(T) and H16/1A(T) represent novel species with the respective names Staphylococcus caledonicus and Staphylococcus canis. The type strain of S. caledonicus is H8/1(T) (=NCTC 14452(T)=CCUG 74789(T)). The type strain of S. canis is H16/1A(T) (=NCTC 14451(T)=CCUG 74790(T))