Zoogloea oleivorans sp. nov., a floc-forming, petroleum hydrocarbon-degrading bacterium isolated from biofilm

A floc-forming, Gram-stain-negative, petroleum hydrocarbon-degrading bacterial strain, designated Buc ᵀ, was isolated from a petroleum hydrocarbon-contaminated site in Hungary. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that strain Buc ᵀ formed a distinct phyletic lineage within the genus Zoogloea . Its closest relative was found to be Zoogloea caeni EMB43 ᵀ (97.2 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity) followed by Zoogloea oryzae A-7 ᵀ (95.9 %), Zoogloea ramigera ATCC 19544 ᵀ (95.5 %) and Zoogloea resiniphila DhA-35 ᵀ (95.4 %). The level of DNA–DNA relatedness between strain Buc ᵀ and Z. caeni EMB43 ᵀ was 31.6 %. Cells of strain Buc ᵀ are facultatively aerobic, rod-shaped, and motile by means of a polar flagellum. The strain grew at temperatures of 5–35 °C (optimum 25–28 °C), and at pH 6.0–9.0 (optimum 6.5–7.5). The predominant fatty acids were C ₁₆ : ₀, C ₁₀ : ₀ 3-OH, C ₁₂ : ₀ and summed feature 3 (C ₁₆ : ₁ω7 c and/or iso-C ₁₅ : ₀ 2-OH). The major respiratory quinone was ubiquinone-8 (Q-8) and the predominant polar lipid was phosphatidylethanolamine. The genomic DNA G+C content was 63.2 mol%. On the basis of the chemotaxonomic, molecular and phenotypic data, isolate Buc ᵀ is considered to represent a novel species of the genus Zoogloea , for which the name Zoogloea oleivorans sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is Buc ᵀ (= DSM 28387 ᵀ = NCAIM B 02570 ᵀ).