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Two groups of previously unknown Gram-negative, strictly anaerobic, pigment-producing, rod-shaped bacteria, which phenotypically and phylogenetically displayed a close association with the recently described species Alistipes finegoldii, were characterized using phenotypic and molecular taxonomic methods. A 16S rRNA gene sequence divergence of approximately 3 % between the two unknown bacteria and A. finegoldii, as well as distinguishable biochemical characteristics, demonstrates that these organisms are genotypically and phenotypically distinct and that each group represents a previously unknown subline within the genus Alistipes. Chromosomal DNA-DNA reassociation studies further confirmed the separateness of the unidentified bacteria and A. finegoldii. On the basis of the phenotypic and phylogenetic findings, two novel species, Alistipes onderdonkii sp. nov. and Alistipes shahii sp. nov., are proposed. The type strains of A. onderdonkii and A. shahii are WAL 8169(T) (=CCUG 48946(T)=ATCC BAA-1178(T)) and WAL 8301(T) (=CCUG 48947(T)=ATCC BAA-1179(T)), respectively; their DNA G+C contents are 58 and 56 mol%, respectively.
Song et al. (Tue,) studied this question.