An-Najah Staff

Three enterococci constituted two aberrant branches after numerical analysis of (GTG) 5 -PCR fingerprints: analogous patterns were found for two water isolates, strains W213 and W442 T , and a separate position was found for an isolate from the gut of a termite, strain LMG 8895 T . 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis classified all three strains in the Enterococcus faecalis species group. Further sequencing analysis of the housekeeping gene pheS (encoding the phenylalanyl-tRNA synthase a -subunit) and whole-cell-protein analysis confirmed a distinct position for the two water isolates and the termite strain, respectively. DNA–DNA hybridization experiments and distinct phenotypic features between the strains studied and representatives of the E. faecalis species group confirmed novel species status, respectively, for the two water isolates, strains W213 and W442 T ,andfor strainLMG8895 T .Thenames Enterococcussilesiacus sp.nov.and Enterococcus termitis sp. nov. are proposed for the novel taxa, with W442 T ( = CCM 7319 T = LMG 23085 T ) and LMG 8895 T ( = CCM 7300 T ) as the respective type strains