A Gram-stain-positive strain, 8 H-2T, was isolated from faeces of Reeves' muntjac (Muntiacus reevesi) barking deer in Taiwan. Cells of the strain were short rod-shaped, non-motile, non-haemolytic, asporogenous, facultatively anaerobic, heterofermentative and did not exhibit catalase and oxidase activities. Comparative analyses of 16S rRNA, pheS and dnaA gene sequences demonstrated that the novel strain was a member of the genus Weissella. On the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities, the type strains of Weissella oryzae (99.2 %), Weissella confusa (97.8 %), Weissella cibaria (97.6 %) and Weissella soli (97.3 %) were the closest neighbours to strain 8 H-2T. The concatenated housekeeping gene sequence (pheS and dnaA) similarities of 8 H-2T to closely related type strains were 72.5-84.9 %, respectively. The genomic DNA G+C content was 40.5 mol%. The average nucleotide identity and digital DNA-DNA hybridization values with these type strains were 70.2-75.4% and 25.1-30.1 %, respectively. Phenotypic and genotypic test results demonstrated that strain 8 H-2T represents a novel species belonging to the genus Weissella, for which the name Weissella muntiaci sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is 8 H-2T (=BCRC 81133T=NBRC 113537T).
Keywords: Taiwanese muntjac; Weissella; barking deer; faeces; lactic acid bacteria.