Sphingobium phenoxybenzoativorans sp. nov., a 2-phenoxybenzoic-acid-degrading bacterium

A Gram-stain-negative, aerobic, yellow-pigmented, rod-shaped bacterium, designated strain SC_3T, was isolated from pesticide-contaminated soil sediment. The strain was able to mineralize 2-phenoxybenzoic acid. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that strain SC_3T formed a monophyletic lineage in the genus Sphingobium, and showed highest similarity to the type strains of Sphingobium abikonense (97.0 %), followed by Sphingobium lactosutens (96.8 %) and Sphingobium cloacae (96.7 %). The DNA-DNA relatedness between strain SC_3T and its closest phylogenetic neighbours was lower than 70 %. The major fatty acids (>5 % of the total) were summed feature 8 (comprising C18:1ω7c/C18:1ω6c), summed feature 3 (comprising C16:1ω7c/C16:1ω6c), C14:0 2-OH, C16:0 and C17:1ω6c. The predominant quinone was ubiquinone Q-10, and the major polyamine was spermidine. The polar lipid profile contained diphosphatidylglycerol (DPG), sphingoglycolipid (SGL), phosphatidylethanolamine (PDME), phosphatidylglycerol (PG), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), phosphatidylmonomethylethanolamine (PMME), an unknown aminolipid (AL), two unknown lipids (L1, L2) and several unknown phospholipids (PL1-6). The genomic DNA G+C content of strain SC_3T was 62.9 mol%. On the basis of phenotypic, chemotaxonomic, phylogenetic and genotypic data, strain SC_3T represents a novel species of the genus Sphingobium, for which the name Sphingobium phenoxybenzoativorans sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is SC_3T ( = CCTCC AB 2014349T = KACC 42448T).