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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, January 2006, p. 392-397, Vol. 72, No. 1
0099-2240/06/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.72.1.392-397.2006
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Spirochaeta coccoides sp. nov., a Novel Coccoid Spirochete from the Hindgut of the Termite Neotermes castaneus {dagger}

Stefan Dröge,1 Jürgen Fröhlich,1 Renate Radek,2 and Helmut König1*

Institut für Mikrobiologie und Weinforschung, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, 55099 Mainz, Germany,1 Institut für Biologie/Zoologie, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany2

Received 17 August 2005/ Accepted 10 October 2005

A novel spirochete strain, SPN1, was isolated from the hindgut contents of the termite Neotermes castaneus. The highest similarities (about 90%) of the strain SPN1 16S rRNA gene sequence are with spirochetes belonging to the genus Spirochaeta, and thus, the isolate could not be assigned to the so-called termite clusters of the treponemes or to a known species of the genus Spirochaeta. Therefore, it represents a novel species, which was named Spirochaeta coccoides. In contrast to all other known validly described spirochete species, strain SPN1 shows a coccoid morphology and is immotile. The isolated strain is obligately anaerobic and ferments different mono-, di-, and oligosaccharides by forming formate, acetate, and ethanol as the main fermentation end products. Furthermore, strain SPN1 is able to grow anaerobically with yeast extract as the sole carbon and energy source. The fastest growth was obtained at 30°C, the temperature at which the termites were also grown. The cells possess different enzymatic activities that are involved in the degradation of lignocellulose in the termite hindgut, such as ß-D-glucosidase, {alpha}-L-arabinosidase, and ß-D-xylosidase. Therefore, they may play an important role in the digestion of breakdown products from cellulose and hemicellulose in the termite gut.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Institut für Mikrobiologie und Weinforschung, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Becherweg 15, D-55099 Mainz, Germany. Phone: 49-6131-39-24634. Fax: 49-6131-39-22695. E-mail: hkoenig{at}uni-mainz.de

{dagger} This paper is dedicated to Otto Kandler on the occasion of his 85th birthday.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, January 2006, p. 392-397, Vol. 72, No. 1
0099-2240/06/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.72.1.392-397.2006
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



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