BACILLUS-THERMOSPHAERICUS SP-NOV A NEW THERMOPHILIC UREOLYTIC BACILLUS ISOLATED FROM AIR

Bacillus-strains representing the dominant thermophilic aerobes in municipal landfill and urban air are described. 16s rDNA sequencing studies showed that these strains represented a distinct lineage with the radiation of the genus Bacillus. The strains were strictly aerobic, growing between 32 degrees C and 64 degrees C, unable to use sugars as source of carbon and energy and formed sphaerical spores in terminally swollen sporangia. The cell morphology varied between cocci, short rods sometimes S-layered, extremely long rods and sphaerical cell wall deficient forms. Liberated spores exhibited hairy appendages. The guanine + cytosine content in DNA was 36 to 37% and the peptidoglycan type was A4 alpha-lysine-asparagine. The strains shared the peptidoglycan type and GC% with B. sphaericus but were distinguished from this species by 16S rDNA sequencing, the amino acid in the interpeptide bridge of the peptidoglycan, true thermophily and whole cell fatty acid composition. Since the strains exhibited no high similarity to any previously described Bacillus species, the strains are proposed as a new species B. thermosphaericus sp. nov., with P-11 as the type strain.