Sphingobium wenxiniae sp. nov., a synthetic pyrethroid (SP)-degrading bacterium isolated from activated sludge in an SP-manufacturing wastewater treatment facility.

A synthetic pyrethroid (SP)-degrading bacterial strain, designated JZ-1T, was isolated from activated sludge of a SP-manufacturing wastewater treatment facility and studied using a polyphasic taxonomic approach. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that strain JZ-1T belonged to the genus Sphingobium, showing highest sequence similarities to Sphingobium faniae DSM 21829T (98.6 %), Sphingobium cloacae JCM 10874T (98.5 %), Sphingobium vermicomposti DSM 21299T (97.4 %) and Sphingobium ummariense CCM 7431T (96.9 %). The polar lipid pattern, the presence of spermidine and ubiquinone Q-10, the predominance of the cellular fatty acids C18 : 1ω7c, C19 : 0 cyclo ω8c, 11 methyl C18 : 1ω7c, C16 : 0 and C14 : 0 2-OH, and the G+C content of the genomic DNA also supported the affiliation of the strain with the genus Sphingobium. Strain JZ-1T showed low DNA–DNA relatedness values with S. faniae DSM 21829T (30.2 %), S. cloacae JCM 10874T (23.3 %), S. vermicomposti DSM 21299T (10.9 %) and S. ummariense CCM 7431T (7.9 %). Based on its phylogenetic position and its phenotypic and genotypic properties, strain JZ-1T represents a novel species of the genus Sphingobium, for which the name Sphingobium wenxiniae sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is JZ-1T ( = CGMCC 1.7748T  = DSM 21828T).