Streptococcus vaginalis sp. nov., a novel bacterial species isolated from vaginal swabs of a pregnant woman with diabetes

Abstract

Sequences targeted at the V3 and V4 16S rRNA hypervariable regions of a streptococcal strain (P1L01^T) isolated from vaginal swabs of a pregnant woman with diabetes were 100% similar to those of Streptococcus anginosus subsp. whileyi. However, phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA full-gene sequencing (1562 bp) revealed highest sequence similarity to Streptococcus periodonticum (98.7%), followed by Streptococcus anginosus subsp. whileyi (98.7%), and Streptococcus anginosus subsp. anginosus (98.4%). Phylogenies of housekeeping genes rpoB and groEL were compared to improve classification, and the results showed a clear separation between strain P1L01^T and closely related Streptococcus type strains. The complete genome of strain P1L01^T consisted of 2,108,769 bp with a G + C content of 38.5 mol%. Average nucleotide identity values, based on genome sequencing, between strain P1L01^T and Streptococcus periodonticum KCOM 2412^T, Streptococcus anginosus subsp. whileyi CCUG 39159^T, and Streptococcus anginosus subsp. anginosus NCTC 10713^T were 95.5%, 94.3%, and 95.3%, respectively. The highest in silico DNA-DNA hybridization value with respect to the closest species was 66.2%, i.e., below the species cutoff of 70% hybridization. The main cellular fatty acids of strain P1L01^T were 16:0, 18:1ω7c, and 14:0. On the basis of phylogenetic, genotypic and phenotypic data, we propose to classify this isolate as representative of a novel species of the genus Streptococcus, Streptococcus vaginalis sp. nov., in reference to its isolation from vaginal swabs, with strain P1L01^T (= NBRC 114754^T = BCRC 81289^T) as the type strain.

Keywords: Diabetes; Pregnancy; Streptococcus vaginalis; Vaginal environment.