Methylobacterium jeotgali sp nov., a nonpigmented, facultatively methylotrophic bacterium isolated from jeotgal, a traditional Korean fermented seafood

A novel facultatively methylotrophic, Gram-negative, rod-shaped bacterium, designated strain S2R03-9(T), was isolated from jeotgal, a traditional Korean fermented seafood. The organism was strictly aerobic, motile by means of a single polar flagellum, non-sporulating and catalase- and oxidase-positive. Strain S2RO3-9(T) grew in the presence of 0-1 % (w/v) NaCl and at pH 6.0-10.0, with optimum growth in the absence of NaCl and at pH 7.0. It grew at temperatures in the range 20.0-30.0 degrees C, with optimum growth at 30 degrees C. Colonies grown on R2A medium were nonpigmented, opaque and creamy white. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that it was most closely related to Methylobacterium organophilum JCM 2833(T) (96.6% similarity) and the phylogenetic similarities to all other Methylobacterium species with validly published names were less than 95.0%. The DNA G + C content was 64.9 mol%. The phylogenetic analysis, the phenotypic assessment and the chemotaxonomic data (major ubiquinone, Q-10; major fatty acids, C-18:1 and C-18:0) showed that S2RO3-9(T) represents a novel species within the genus Methylobacterium in the class Alphaproteobacteria, for which the name Methylobacterium jeotgali sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is S2RO3-9(T) (= KCTC 12671(T) = LMG 23639(T)).