Desulfotomaculum tongense sp nov., a moderately thermophilic sulfate-reducing bacterium isolated from a hydrothermal vent sediment collected from the Tofua Arc in the Tonga Trench

A novel, strictly anaerobic, moderately thermophilic, endospore-forming, sulfate-reducing bacterium, designated TGB60-1(T), was isolated from a hydrothermal sediment vent collected from the Tofua Arc in the Tonga Trench. The strain was characterized phenotypically and phylogenetically. The isolated strain was observed to be Gram-positive, with slightly curved rod-shaped cells and a polar flagellum. Strain TGB60-1(T) was found to grow anaerobically at 37-60 A degrees C (optimum, 50 A degrees C), at pH 6.0-8.5 (optimum, pH 7.0) and with 1.0-4.0 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 3.0 %). The electron acceptors utilised were determined to be sulfate, sulfite, and thiosulfate. Strain TGB60-1(T) was found to utilise pyruvate and H-2 as electron donors. Strain TGB60-1(T) was determined to be related to representatives of the genus Desulfotomaculum and the closest relatives within this genus were identified as Desulfotomaculum halophilum SEBR 3139(T), Desulfotomaculum alkaliphilum S1(T) and Desulfotomaculum peckii LINDBHT1(T) (92.7, 92.1, and 91.8 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity, respectively). The major fatty acids (> 20 %) were identified as C-16:0 and C-18:1 omega 7c. The G+C content of the genomic DNA of this novel bacterium was determined to be 53.9 mol%. Based on this polyphasic taxonomic study, strain TGB60-1(T) is considered to represent a novel species in the genus Desulfotomaculum, for which the name Desulfotomaculum tongense sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain of D. tongense is strain TGB60-1(T) (= KTCT 4534(T) = JCM 18733(T)).