Bacillus oshimensis sp. nov., a moderately halophilic, non-motile alkaliphile

A halophilic and halotolerant, facultatively alkaliphilic strain, K11T, was isolated from soil obtained from Oshyamanbe, Oshima, Hokkaido, Japan. The isolate grew at pH 7–10. It was non-motile, Gram-positive and aerobic. Cells comprised straight rods and produced ellipsoidal spores. The isolate grew in 0–20 % NaCl, with optimum growth at 7 % NaCl, and hydrolysed casein, gelatin, starch, DNA and Tweens 20, 40, 60 and 80. The major isoprenoid quinone was menaquinone-7, and the cellular fatty acid profile consisted of significant amounts of C15 branched-chain acids, iso C15 : 0 and anteiso C15 : 0. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing indicated that strain K11T was a member of group 6 [ Nielsen et al., FEMS Microbiol Lett 117 (1994), 61–66 ] (alkaliphiles) of the genus Bacillus. DNA–DNA hybridization revealed a low relatedness (14 %) of the isolate to its closest phylogenetic neighbour, Bacillus clausii. On the basis of phenotypic and chemotaxonomic characteristics, phylogenetic data and DNA–DNA relatedness data, it was concluded that K11T (=JCM 12663T=NCIMB 14023T) merits classification as the type strain of a novel species, for which the name Bacillus oshimensis sp. nov. is proposed.