Sulfobacillus harzensis sp. nov., an acidophilic bacterium inhabiting mine tailings from a polymetallic mine

A mixotrophic and acidophilic bacterial strain BGR 140(T) was isolated from mine tailings in the Harz Mountains near Goslar, Germany. Cells of BGR 140(T) were Gram-stain-positive, endospore-forming, motile and rod-shaped. BGR 140(T) grew aerobically at 25–55 °C (optimum 45 °C) and at pH 1.5–5.0 (optimum pH 3.0). The results of analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that BGR 140(T) was phylogenetically related to different members of the genus Sulfobacillus, and the sequence identities to Sulfobacillus acidophilus DSM 10332(T), Sulfobacillus thermotolerans DSM 17362(T), and Sulfobacillus benefaciens DSM 19468(T) were 94.8, 91.8 and 91.6 %, respectively. Its cell wall peptidoglycan is A1γ, composed of meso-diaminopimelic acid. The respiratory quinone is DMK-6. The major polar lipids were determined to be glycolipid, phospholipid and phosphatidylglycerol. The predominant fatty acid is 11-cycloheptanoyl-undecanoate. The genomic DNA G+C content is 58.2 mol%. On the basis of the results of phenotypic and genomic analyses, it is concluded that strain BGR 140(T) represents a novel species of the genus Sulfobacillus, for which the name Sulfobacillus harzensis sp. nov. is proposed because of its origin. Its type strain is BGR 140(T) (=DSM 109850(T)=JCM 39070(T)).