Thalassospira povalilytica sp nov., a polyvinyl-alcohol-degrading marine bacterium

A polyvinyl-alcohol-degrading marine bacterium was isolated from plastic rope litter found in Tokyo Bay, Japan. The isolated strain, Zumi 95(T), was a Gram-reaction-negative, non-spore-forming and facultatively anaerobic chemo-organotroph. The major respiratory quinone was Q-10. The predominant fatty acids were C-18:1 omega 7c and C-16:0. On the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, the isolated strain was closely affiliated with members of the genus Thalassospira in the class Alphaproteobacteria. The DNA G+C content of the novel strain was 55.1 mol%. The hybridization values for DNA DNA relatedness between this strain and four reference strains representing species of the genus Thalassospira were significantly lower than that accepted as the phylogenetic definition of a species. On the basis of differences in taxonomic characteristics, the isolated strain represents a novel species of the genus Thalassospira for which the name Thalassospira povalilytica sp. nov. (type strain Zumi 95(T)=JCM 18746(T)=DSM 26719(T)) is proposed.