Corynebacterium genitalium sp. nov., nom. rev. and Corynebacterium pseudogenitalium sp. nov., nom. rev., two old species of the genus Corynebacterium described from clinical and environmental samples

Abstract

Two Corynebacterium species were proposed decades ago, isolated from clinical samples and divided into biovars: "Corynebacterium genitalium" biovars I-V and "Corynebacterium pseudogenitalium" biovars C1-C6. Several biovars have been re-classified as new species. Nevertheless, biovar I and C5, together with their respective specific epithets "Corynebacterium genitalium" and "Corynebacterium pseudogenitalium", remained not validly published after more than 40 years. Several more strains, temptatively classified as "C. genitalium" biovar I and "Corynebacterium pseudogenitalium" C5, have been isolated from clinical and environmental samples. Both species presented Gram-positive, non-spore forming rod-shaped cells, able to grow aerobically with CO₂. Core-genome analysis identified "C. genitalium" to be most closely related to Corynebacterium tuscaniense, Corynebacterium urinipleomorphum, Corynebacterium aquatimens and C appendicis, and Corynebacterium gottingense as the most closely related species to "C. pseudogenitalium". Comprehensive genomic, genotypic, phenotypic analyses, as well as chemotaxonomic, support the proposal for "C. genitalium" and "C. pseudogenitalium" as distinct species within the genus Corynebacterium. The designated type strains of the two species are Furness 392-1^T = ATCC 33030^T = CCUG 38989^T = CCM 9178^T = DSM 113155^T for C. genitalium sp. nov., nom. rev., and Furness 162-C2^T = ATCC 33039^T = CCUG 27540^T = CCM 9177^T = DSM 113154^T for C. pseudogenitalium sp. nov., nom. rev.

Keywords: Clinical-associated; Corynebacterium; Corynebacterium genitalium sp. nov.; Corynebacterium pseudogenitalium sp. nov.; Environmental-associated; Opportunistic pathogen.