Elizabethkingia anophelis sp. nov., isolated from the midgut of the mosquito Anopheles gambiae

Abstract

The taxonomic position, growth characteristics and antibiotic resistance properties of a slightly yellow-pigmented bacterial strain, designated R26 T , isolated from the midgut of the mosquito Anopheles gambiae , were studied. The isolate produced rod-shaped cells, which stained Gram-negative. The bacterium had two growth optima at 30–31 °C and 37 °C. Strain R26 T demonstrated natural antibiotic resistance to ampicillin, chloramphenicol, kanamycin, streptomycin and tetracycline. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis revealed that the isolate showed 98.6 % sequence similarity to that of Elizabethkingia meningoseptica ATCC 13253 T and 98.2 % similarity to that of Elizabethkingia miricola GTC 862 T . The major fatty acids of strain R26 T were iso-C 15 : 0 , iso-C 17 : 0 3-OH and summed feature 4 (iso-C 15 : 0 2-OH and/or C 16 : 1 ω7 c / t ). Strain R26 T contained only menaquinone MK-6 and showed a complex polar lipid profile consisting of diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylinositol, an unknown phospholipid and unknown polar lipids and glycolipids. DNA–DNA hybridization experiments with E. meningoseptica CCUG 214 T ( = ATCC 13253 T ) and E. miricola KCTC 12492 T ( = GTC 862 T ) gave relatedness values of 34.5 % (reciprocal 41.5 %) and 35.0 % (reciprocal 25.7 %), respectively. DNA–DNA hybridization results and some differentiating biochemical properties indicate that strain R26 T represents a novel species, for which the name Elizabethkingia anophelis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is R26 T ( = CCUG 60038 T = CCM 7804 T ).