Delftia lacustris sp. nov., a peptidoglycan-degrading bacterium from fresh water, and emended description of Delftia tsuruhatensis as a peptidoglycan-degrading bacterium

Extracellular peptidoglycan is commonly found in natural environments, yet little is known about its biodegradation in nature. We here describe a novel peptidoglycan-degrading bacterium, designated strain 332T, isolated from mesotrophic lake water in Denmark. The strain was a Gram-negative-staining, motile rod. It had chitinase and lysozyme activities, which are relevant to peptidoglycan degradation, and was capable of utilizing several mono- and disaccharides, amino acids and organic acids. Phylogenetic analysis based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence indicated that strain 332T belonged to the genus Delftia. Fatty acids of the strain included C8:0 and C10:0, which are characteristic of the genus Delftia. The DNA G+C content of the strain was 65.3 mol%. A DNA-DNA hybridization value of 66.2% was found between strain 332T and Delftia tsuruhatensis DSM 17581T. Based on differences in physiological and biochemical characteristics, the strain is considered to represent a novel species, for which the name Delftia lacustris sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is 332T (=DSM 21246T=LMG 24775T). An emended description of Delftia tsuruhatensis is also presented.