In a screening campaign to isolate strains with the ability to remove the bad smell associated with animal faeces, strain MA001(T) was isolated from a soil sample obtained from Shizuoka prefecture, Japan. The isolate grew at pH 6-9 but not at pH 10. Cells were Gram-positive, straight rods with peritrichous flagella and produced ellipsoidal spores. The isolate was positive for catalase and oxidase tests but negative for indole production, deamination of phenylalanine and H(2)S production. The isolate did not produce acid from any carbohydrates tested and could not grow in more than 2 % NaCl. The DNA G+C content was 39.4 mol%. The cellular fatty acids profile consisted of significant amount of C(15) branched-chain fatty acids, iso-C(15 : 0) and anteiso-C(15 : 0). Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing indicated that strain MA001(T) was closely related to Bacillus simplex and Bacillus psychrosaccharolyticus. DNA-DNA hybridization revealed a low relatedness of the isolate to several phylogenetically close neighbours (less than 9 %). On the basis of the phenotypic characteristics observed, phylogenetic data based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing and DNA-DNA relatedness data, it is concluded that the isolate should be classified as representing a novel species, for which the name Bacillus asahii is proposed. The type strain is MA001(T) (=JCM 12112(T)=NCIMB 13969(T)).