Bacillus salarius sp. nov., a halophilic, spore-forming bacterium isolated from a salt lake in China

A moderately halophilic bacterium, strain BH169T, capable of growing at salinities of 3-20% (w/v) NaCl was isolated from a saline lake in China. Strain BH169T was strictly aerobic, short-rod-shaped and non-motile (non-flagellated). Its major cellular fatty acids were anteiso-C15:0, anteiso-C17:0, iso-C15:0 and iso-C16:0. The genomic DNA G+C content was about 43 mol% and the predominant quinone was MK-7. The cell-wall peptidoglycan was of the A1gamma type, containing meso-diaminopimelic acid as the diagnostic diamino acid. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that the isolate formed a distinct phylogenetic line within the spore-forming rods of the genus Bacillus. The levels of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity to the type strains of Bacillus species were below 93%. On the basis of phenotypic and molecular properties, strain BH169T (=KCTC 3912T=DSM 16461T) represents the type strain of a novel species within the genus Bacillus, for which the name Bacillus salarius sp. nov. is proposed.