Acidocella aluminiidurans sp. nov., an aluminiumtolerant bacterium isolated from Panicum repens grown in a highly acidic swamp in actual acid sulfate soil area of Vietnam

An aluminium-tolerant bacterium, strain AL46^T, was isolated from a waterweed, Panicum repens, grown in a highly acidic swamp (pH 3) at an actual acid sulfate soil area of Vietnam. Cells were Gram-negative, aerobic, non-spore-forming, non-motile rods (0.3 μmm wide and 1.2-1.6 μm long). 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis indicated that strain AL46^T belongs to the genus Acidocella, class Alphaproteobacteria. Strain AL46^T was related most closely to the type strains of Acidocella facilis and Acidocella aminolytica (99.4 and 97.8% 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity, respectively). Levels of DNA-DNA relatedness between strain AL46^T and the above type strains were 40%. The results of physiological and biochemical tests allowed the novel strain to be differentiated phenotypically from the two recognized Acidocella species. Data for predominant cellular fatty acids (cyclopropyl C_19:0 and C_18:1), major isoprenoid quinone (Q-10) and DNA G+C content (65.6 mol%) were in accordance with those reported for the genus Acidocella. Therefore, strain AL46^T is considered to represent a novel species of the genus Acidocella, for which the name Acidocella aluminiidurans sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is AL46^T (=NBRC 104303^T =VTCC-D9-1^T).