Characterization of strains of Weissella fabalis sp. nov. and Fructobacillus tropaeoli from spontaneous cocoa bean fermentations

Int J Syst Evol Microbiol. 2013 May;63(Pt 5):1709-1716. doi: 10.1099/ijs.0.040311-0. Epub 2012 Aug 24.

Abstract

Six facultatively anaerobic, non-motile lactic acid bacteria were isolated from spontaneous cocoa bean fermentations carried out in Brazil, Ecuador and Malaysia. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that one of these strains, designated M75(T), isolated from a Brazilian cocoa bean fermentation, had the highest 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity towards Weissella fabaria LMG 24289(T) (97.7%), W. ghanensis LMG 24286(T) (93.3%) and W. beninensis LMG 25373(T) (93.4%). The remaining lactic acid bacteria isolates, represented by strain M622, showed the highest 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity towards the type strain of Fructobacillus tropaeoli (99.9%), a recently described species isolated from a flower in South Africa. pheS gene sequence analysis indicated that the former strain represented a novel species, whereas pheS, rpoA and atpA gene sequence analysis indicated that the remaining five strains belonged to F. tropaeoli; these results were confirmed by DNA-DNA hybridization experiments towards their respective nearest phylogenetic neighbours. Additionally, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry proved successful for the identification of species of the genera Weissella and Fructobacillus and for the recognition of the novel species. We propose to classify strain M75(T) ( = LMG 26217(T) = CCUG 61472(T)) as the type strain of the novel species Weissella fabalis sp. nov.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Base Composition
  • Brazil
  • Cacao / microbiology*
  • DNA, Bacterial / genetics
  • Ecuador
  • Fermentation
  • Food Microbiology*
  • Genes, Bacterial
  • Leuconostocaceae / classification*
  • Leuconostocaceae / genetics
  • Leuconostocaceae / isolation & purification
  • Malaysia
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Nucleic Acid Hybridization
  • Peptidoglycan / analysis
  • Phylogeny*
  • RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / genetics
  • Sequence Analysis, DNA
  • Weissella / classification*
  • Weissella / genetics
  • Weissella / isolation & purification

Substances

  • DNA, Bacterial
  • Peptidoglycan
  • RNA, Ribosomal, 16S

Associated data

  • GENBANK/HE576795
  • GENBANK/HE576796