title: Corynebacterium spheniscorum sp. nov., isolated from the cloacae of wild penguins.
abstract: Twenty unidentified Gram-positive, rod-shaped organisms were recovered from the cloacae of apparently healthy wild penguins (Spheniscus magellanicus) and subjected to a polyphasic taxonomic analysis. On the basis of cellular morphology and biochemical criteria, the isolates were tentatively assigned to the genus Corynebacterium, although the organisms did not appear to correspond to any recognized species. Lipid studies confirmed this generic placement, and comparative 16S rRNA gene sequencing showed that the unidentified organisms represent a hitherto unknown subline, associated with a small subcluster of species that includes Corynebacterium diphtheriae and its close relatives. On the basis of phenotypic and phylogenetic evidence, it is proposed that the unknown isolates from penguins be classified in the genus Corynebacterium, as Corynebacterium spheniscorum sp. nov. The type strain is strain PG 39T (=CCUG 45512T =CECT 5986T).
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Patología Animal I (Sanidad Animal), Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Goyache
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Patología Animal I (Sanidad Animal), Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: A I
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Vela
authors.affiliation: School of Food Biosciences, University of Reading, Reading RG6 6AP, UK.
authors.forename: M D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Collins
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Patología Animal I (Sanidad Animal), Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ballesteros
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Patología Animal I (Sanidad Animal), Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Briones
authors.affiliation: Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, C/José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Moreno
authors.affiliation: CENPAT-CONICET, Bv. Brown s/n, Puerto Madryn, Chubut, Argentina.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Yorio
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Patología Animal I (Sanidad Animal), Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Domínguez
authors.affiliation: School of Food Biosciences, University of Reading, Reading RG6 6AP, UK.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hutson
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Patología Animal I (Sanidad Animal), Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Fernández-Garayzábal
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild / Q000382:microbiology; D001717:Birds / Q000382:microbiology*; D002988:Cloaca / Q000382:microbiology; D003352:Corynebacterium / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000378:metabolism; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010641:Phenotype; D010802:Phylogeny; D012329:RNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal; D012329:RNA, Bacterial; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S