Desulfatiferula berrensis sp. nov., a n-alkene-degrading sulfate-reducing bacterium isolated from estuarine sediments

A novel sulfate-reducing bacterium designated strain BE2801T was isolated from oil-polluted estuarine sediments (Berre Lagoon, France). Cells were Gram-stain-negative, motile, slightly curved or vibrioid rods. Optimal growth of strain BE2801T occurred at 30–32 °C, 0.5–1.5% NaCl (w/v) and pH 7.2–7.4. Strain BE2801T grew with C4 to C20 fatty acids or C12 to C20 n-alkenes as electron donors. Acetate and carbon dioxide were the oxidation products. The major cellular fatty acids were C16 : 0, C16 : 1ω7c and C18 : 1ω7. The DNA G+C content was 50.2 mol%. 16S rRNA and dsrAB gene sequence analysis indicated that strain BE2801T was a member of the family Desulfobacteraceae within the class Deltaproteobacteria . DNA–DNA hybridization with the most closely related taxon demonstrated 14.8 % relatedness. Based on phenotypic and phylogenetic evidence, strain BE2801T ( = DSM 25524T = JCM 18157T) is proposed to be a representative of a novel species of the genus Desulfatiferula , for which the name Desulfatiferula berrensis sp. nov. is suggested.