Comparison of Atmospheric and Lithospheric Culturable Bacterial Communities from Two Dissimilar Active Volcanic Sites, Surtsey Island and Fimmvörðuháls Mountain in Iceland

Surface microbes are aerosolized into the atmosphere by wind and events such as dust storms and volcanic eruptions. Before they reach their deposition site, they experience stressful atmospheric conditions which preclude the successful dispersal of a large fraction of cells. In this study, our objectives were to assess and compare the atmospheric and lithospheric bacterial cultivable diversity of two geographically different Icelandic volcanic sites: the island Surtsey and the Fimmvörðuháls mountain, to predict the origin of the culturable microbes from these sites, and to select airborne candidates for further investigation. Using a combination of MALDI Biotyper analysis and partial 16S rRNA gene sequencing, a total of 1162 strains were identified, belonging to 72 species affiliated to 40 genera with potentially 26 new species. The most prevalent phyla identified were Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria. Statistical analysis showed significant differences between atmospheric and lithospheric microbial communities, with distinct communities in Surtsey’s air. By combining the air mass back trajectories and the analysis of the closest representative species of our isolates, we concluded that 85% of our isolates came from the surrounding environments and only 15% from long distances. The taxonomic proportions of the isolates were reflected by the site’s nature and location.

Pseudomonas carnis sp. nov., isolated from meat

During investigations of spoilage-associated meat microbiota, Pseudomonas isolates were found in two different laboratories showing highest similarities to Pseudomonas lactis DSM 29167T, Pseudomonas paralactis DSM 29164T and Pseudomonas azotoformans DSM 18862T based on 16S rRNA gene sequence comparisons. Phylogenetic analysis of the complete rpoB gene sequences of isolates B4-1T and SpeckC indicated a separate branch with 99.0 and 99.1 % identity, respectively, to their closest relative ( P. lactis DSM 29167T). Further phenotypic and chemotaxonomic characterizations, as well as average nucleotide identity (ANIb) values obtained from the draft genomes, revealed that these isolates could be considered as representing a novel species, with ANIb values of around 94 and 90 % with their closest relatives P. lactis and P. paralactis . Other related species showed ANIb values below 90 %, including Pseudomonas libanensis DSM 17149T, Pseudomonas synxantha DSM 18928T, Pseudomonas orientalis DSM 17489T, Pseudomonas veronii DSM 11331T and P. azotoformans DSM 18862T. Genome-to-genome distance calculations between B4-1T and its closest relative, P. lactis DSM 29167T, showed 62.6 % relatedness. The G+C contents of B4-1T and SpeckC were 59.8 and 59.9 mol%, respectively. The major cellular lipids were phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol and diphosphatidylglycerol; the major quinone was Q9. Based on these data, the new species Pseudomonas carnis sp. nov. is proposed, the type strain is B4-1T (=DSM 107652T=LMG 30892T); a second strain is SpeckC (=DSM 107651=LMG 30893).

Characterization of two Pantoea strains isolated from extra-virgin olive oil

The olive oil is an unfavorable substrate for microbial survival and growth. Only few microorganisms use olive oil fatty acids as carbon and energy sources, and survive in the presence of olive oil anti-microbial components. In this study, we have evaluated the occurrence of microorganisms in 1-year-stored extra-virgin olive oil samples. We detected the presence of bacterial and yeast species with a recurrence of the bacterium Stenotrophomonas rhizophila and yeast Sporobolomyces roseus. We then assayed the ability of all isolates to grow in a mineral medium supplemented with a commercial extra-virgin olive oil as a sole carbon and energy source, and analyzed the utilization of olive oil fatty acids during their growth. We finally focused on two bacterial isolates belonging to the species Pantoea septica. Both these isolates produce carotenoids, and one of them synthesizes bioemulsifiers enabling the bacteria to better survive/growth in this unfavorable substrate. Analyses point to a mixture of glycolipids with glucose, galactose and xylose as carbohydrate moieties whereas the lipid domain was constituted by C6-C10 β-hydroxy carboxylic acids.

Pseudomonas lactis sp. nov. and Pseudomonas paralactis sp. nov., isolated from bovine raw milk

Five strains, designated WS 4672T, WS 4998, WS 4992T, WS 4997 and WS 5000, isolated from bovine raw milk formed two individual groups in a phylogenetic analysis. The most similar species on the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequences were Pseudomonas azotoformans IAM 1603T, Pseudomonas gessardii CIP 105469T and Pseudomonas libanensis CIP 105460T showing 99.7-99.6 % similarity. Using rpoD gene sequences Pseudomonas veronii LMG 17761T (93.3 %) was most closely related to strain WS 4672T and Pseudomonas libanensis CIP 105460T to strain WS 4992T (93.3 %). The five strains could be differentiated from their closest relatives and from each other by phenotypic and chemotaxonomic characterization and ANIb values calculated from draft genome assemblies. ANIb values of strains WS 4992T and WS4671T to the closest relatives are lower than 90 %. The major cellular polar lipids of both strains are phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, a phospholipid and diphosphatidylglycerol, and their major quinone is Q-9. The DNA G+C content of strains WS 4992T and WS 4672T were 60.0  and 59.7  mol%, respectively. Based on these genotypic and phenotypic traits two novel species of the genus Pseudomonas are proposed: Pseudomonas lactis sp. nov. [with type strain WS 4992T (=DSM 29167T=LMG 28435T) and the additional strains WS 4997 and WS 5000], and Pseudomonasparalactis sp. nov. [with type strain WS 4672T (=DSM 29164T=LMG 28439T) and additional strain WS 4998].

Phylogenetic diversity of bacterial communities inhabiting the sediment of Lake Hévíz - a comparison of cultivation and cloning

Lake Hévíz is the largest natural warm water lake of Europe. The curative mud of the lake comprises volcanic and marsh components although their species composition is hardly known yet. The aim of the present study was to gain information about the distribution and species diversity of bacterial communities inhabiting the sediment of Lake Hévíz using cultivation-based and molecular cloning methods. Samples from two depths and locations were taken in 2004 and 2007. Representatives of the altogether 255 bacterial isolates were affiliated with the phyla Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes. The most abundant groups belonged to the genus Bacillus (Firmicutes). Many of Lake Hévíz isolates showed the highest sequence similarity to bacteria known to be plant associated or members of normal human microbiota as well as participating in decomposition of highly resistant organic materials. In the three clone libraries, phylotypes belonging to altogether different phyla (Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Cyanobacteria, Chlorobi, Chloroflexi, Deferribacteres, Nitrospirae, Spirochaetes and Verrucomicrobia) were revealed from which members of Gammaproteobacteria and Cyanobacteria proved to be the most abundant. Regardless of the sampling times and methodology used, high spatial heterogeneities of bacterial community structures were characteristic of the sediment of Lake Hévíz.