Mycobacterium fluoranthenivorans sp nov., a fluoranthene and aflatoxin B1 degrading bacterium from contaminated soil of a former coal gas plant

Mycobacterium strain FA4(T) was isolated with fluoranthene as the single carbon source from soil of a former coal gas plant, polluted with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. The physiological properties, fatty acid pattern, and the 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequence indicated membership to the genus Mycobacterium, but were different from all type strains of Mycobacterium species. Based on comparative 16S rRNA gene sequence analyses strain FA4(T) could be assigned to the Mycobacterium neoaurum taxon showing 98% sequence similarity to M. diernboferi as its closest neighbour. The occurrence of epoxymycolate in the cell wall differentiates FA4 from all members of this taxon which synthesize wax-ester mycolates in addition to alpha-mycolates. Strain FA4(T) is able to degrade aflatoxin B, This biological attribute might be useful in biological detoxification processes of foods and feeds. From the investigated characteristics it is concluded that strain FA4 T represents a new species, for which we propose the name Mycobacterium fluoranthenivorans sp. nov. The type strain of Mycobacterium fluoranthenivorans is FA4(T) (DSM 44556(T) = CIp 108203(T)).