Actinomyces weissii sp. nov., isolated from dogs

Two Gram-positive, rod-shaped, non-spore-forming bacteria were isolated from the oral cavities of two dogs. On the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities both strains were shown to belong to the genus Actinomyces and were most closely related to Actinomyces bovis (97.3 % and 97.5 %, respectively). The polyamine profile of the two isolates and Actinomyces bovis DSM 43014^T was composed of spermidine and spermine as the major components. Menaquinone MK-9 was the major compound in the quinone system of the two strains and Actinomyces bovis. The polar lipid profiles of strains 2298^T and 4321 were almost identical, containing diphosphatidylglycerol as the major compound, and moderate to trace amounts of phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylinositol-mannoside, phosphatidylglycerol and several unidentified lipids. A highly similar polar lipid profile was detected in Actinomyces bovis DSM 43014^T supporting the affiliation of strains 2298^T and 4321 to the genus Actinomyces. The typical major fatty acids were C_16 : 0, C_18 : 0 and C_18 : 1ω9c. Fatty acids C_14 : 0 and C_18 : 2ω6,9c were found in minor amounts. The results of physiological and biochemical analyses revealed clear differences between both strains and the most closely related species of the genus Actinomyces. Thus, strains 2298^T and 4321 represent a novel species, for which the name Actinomyces weissii sp. nov., is proposed, with strain 2298^T ( = CIP 110333^T = LMG 26472^T = CCM 7951^T = CCUG 61299^T) as the type strain.