Description of Bernardella vulneris gen. nov., sp. nov., assignable to the family Aerococcaceae, isolated from human clinical samples.

Abstract

Eleven novel Gram-stain-positive, catalase- and oxidase-negative coccal bacterial isolates recovered mostly from the wounds of patients located in three Canadian provinces were extensively studied. Phenotypic analysis and phylogenetic analysis based on both the 16S rRNA gene and whole-genome sequence place them in the family Aerococcaceae and differentiate them from genera in the closest families Enterococcaceae and Carnobacteriaceae in the order Lactobacillales. The G+C content of the isolates was on average 42.15 mol% with genome sizes ranging from 1.87 to 2.04 Mb. The average nucleotide identity and average amino acid identity values to other members of the family Aerococcaceae were below 69 and 62%, respectively, placing the isolates into a new genera. Phosphatidylserine is predicted to be synthesized based on the presence of the gene phosphatidylserine synthase in the annotated genome (E.C. 2.7.8.8). In silico analysis predicts the presence of l-lysine as the main diamino acid in the peptidoglycans. Major cellular fatty acids included C_16:0, C_18:0 and C_18:1 ω9c. These 11 clinical strains were ultimately deemed to represent a novel genus and species, for which the name Bernardella gen. nov. and Bernardella vulneris sp. nov. is proposed and the type strain is NML130460^T (=LMG 32739^T=NCTC 14840^T).