Soil samples from a remote Japanese island (Kozushima) were processed and investigated for organisms exhibiting antimicrobial activity against pathogenic strains. A Pseudomonas strain demonstrating antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) was observed, leading to further investigation. Whole-genome sequencing was used to identify species and phylogenetic analysis, followed by in silico molecular analysis. Chemotaxonomic and biochemical analyses were conducted to characterize the strain further. Genomic analysis identified a strain of interest, Pseudomonas batumici (P. batumici), a strain initially isolated from soil of the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus in 1980. P. batumici Koz11 is the second P. batumici strain isolated and identified outside the area where it was first found. Similar to the type strain, P. batumici Koz11 showed antimicrobial activity against various S. aureus strains, including vancomycin-resistant S. aureus. However, the previously reported gene cluster known as the "batumin gene cluster," which synthesizes antimicrobial compounds, was absent from P. batumici Koz11. This study provides insights on P. batumici that were not previously known. Since the type of strain of P. batumici is exclusively deposited in the Ukrainian Collection of Microorganisms, the Koz11 strain may be a surrogate to facilitate continued study of P. batumici.
Authors: Khalid Z. Elwakeel
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1099/acmi.0.000799.v1.2
Publish Year: 2024
