Characterization of the phylogenetic diversity of two novel species belonging to the genus Bifidobacterium: Bifidobacterium cebidarum sp. nov. and Bifidobacterium leontopitheci sp. nov.

Two Bifidobacterium strains, i.e., 2176B(T) and 2177B(T), were isolated from Golden-Headed Lion Tamarin (Leontopithecus chrysomelas) and Goeldi's monkey (Callimico goelda Isolates were shown to be Gram-positive, non-motile, non-sporulating, facultative anaerobic and o-fructose 6-phosphate phosphoketolase-positive. Phylogenetic analyses based on 165 rRNA sequences, multilocus sequences (including hsp60, rpoB, dnaJ, dnaG and cIpC genes) and the core genome revealed that bifidobacterial strains 2176B(T) and 2177B(T) exhibit close phylogenetic relatedness to Bifidobacterium felsineum DSM 103139(T) and Bifidobacterium bifidum LMG 11041(T). respectively. Further genotyping based on the genome sequence of the isolated strains combined with phenotypic analyses, clearly show that these strains are distinct from each of the type strains of the so far recognized Bifidobacterium species. Thus, Bifidobacterium cebidarum sp. nov. (2176B(T)=LMG 31469(T)=CCUG 73785(T)) and Bifidobacterium leontopitheci sp. nov. (2177B(T)=LMG 31471(T)=CCUG 73786(T) are proposed as novel Bifidobacterium species.