Description and genomic characterization of Massiliimalia massiliensis gen. nov., sp. nov., and Massiliimalia timonensis gen. nov., sp. nov., two new members of the family Ruminococcaceae isolated from the human gut

Using the culturomics approach, we isolated two strains, Marseille-P2963 and Marseille-P3753, from the intestinal microbiota of a 19-year-old healthy Saudi Arabian Bedouin male and from a 32-year-old healthy Senegalese male faecal transplant donor. Here, we studied their phenotypic, phylogenetic and genomic characteristics. Both strains were phylogenetically related, but different from Ruminococcus species. Bacterial cells were anaerobic, rod-shaped, non-spore-forming and not motile, with neither catalase nor oxidase activities. Their growth temperatures ranged from 28 to 45 °C, with an optimal growth at 37 °C. The genomes are 2,842,720 bp- and 2,707,061 bp-long respectively. The G + C contents are 47.18% and 46.90%, respectively. Based on these characteristics, we propose the creation of a new genus within the family Ruminococcaceae named Massiliimalia gen. nov., that contains the new species Massiliimalia massiliensis gen. nov., sp. nov., and Massiliimalia timonensis gen. nov., sp. nov. Strains Marseille-P2963T (= CSUR P2963 = DSM 106837) and Marseille-P3753T (= CSUR P3753 = CCUG 71632) are their type strains, respectively.