Nocardioides houyundeii sp. nov., isolated from Tibetan antelope faeces

Researchers have identified two novel bacterial strains, Nocardioides houyundeii sp. nov., isolated from the faeces of Tibetan antelopes in Qinghai Hoh Xil, a UNESCO World Heritage Site on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau. These Gram-stain-positive, aerobic bacteria exhibit distinct phenotypic and genotypic traits that differentiate them from closely related species within the Nocardioides genus. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA sequences revealed that these strains share only 98.3% similarity with the nearest known species, well below the 95–96% threshold for species delineation. The study employed a combination of phenotypic characterization, genotypic analysis (including DNA G+C content and average nucleotide identity), and chemotaxonomic profiling to support the novel species designation. This discovery expands the diversity of the Nocardioides genus and contributes to our understanding of microbial ecology in high-altitude ecosystems.

Wang, X., Yang, J., Lu, S., Lai, X.-H., Jin, D., Pu, J., Zhang, G., Huang, Y., Zhu, W., Wu, X., Liang, H., & Xu, J. (2018). Nocardioides houyundeii sp. nov., isolated from Tibetan antelope faeces. International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology, 68(12), 3874–3880. https://doi.org/10.1099/ijsem.0.003076