Lactobacillus gorillae sp. nov., isolated from the faeces of captive and wild western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla)

Four strains of Gram-staining-positive, anaerobic rods were isolated from the faeces of western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla). Three strains, KZ01T, KZ02 and KZ03, were isolated at the Kyoto City Zoo, Japan, and one strain, GG02, was isolated in the Moukalaba-Doudou National Park, Gabon. These strains were investigated taxonomically. These strains belonged to theLactobacillus reuteri phylogenetic group according to phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences and specific phenotypic characteristics. Phylogenetic analysis of their 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that strains KZ01T, KZ02, KZ03 and GG02 formed a single monophyletic cluster and had a distinct line of descent. Based on sequence similarity of the 16S rRNA gene,Lactobacillus fermentum JCM 1173T (96.6 %) was the closest neighbour to these novel strains, although it was clear that these strains belonged to a different species. Partial pheS sequences also supported these relationships. DNA–DNA relatedness between strain KZ01T and L. fermentum JCM 1173T was less than 22 % and the DNA G+C content of strain KZ01T was 50.7 mol%. The cell-wall peptidoglycan type was A4β (L-Orn–D-Asp) and the major fatty acids were C16: 0, C18: 1ω9c and C19: 1 cyclo 9,10. Therefore, based on phylogenetic, phenotypic and physiological evidence, these strains represent a novel species of the genus Lactobacillus, for which the name Lactobacillus gorillae sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is KZ01T (= JCM 19575T = DSM 28356T).