During our studies on spoilage microbiomes of modified atmosphere packaged broiler meat, we isolated three strains (PNs007T, STAA11T and STAA25) of unknown identity. In this present polyphasic taxonomy study, including genome-based analyses, we discovered that these isolates represent two novel species belonging to the genus Vagococcus. In all phylogenetic analyses, PNs007T was positioned very close to Vagococcus fessus but both the average nucleotide identity (ANI; 89.5 %) and digital DNA-DNA hybridization (dDDH; 38.3 %) values distinguished it as a novel vagococcal species. STAA11T and STAA25 were genetically highly similar (16S rRNA, ANI and dDDH 100 %). The phylogenetic position of STAA11T was adjacent to but out of the cluster containing V. fessus, Vagococcus coleopterorum and PNs007T. According to the ANI (76.2-76.4 %) and dDDH (<22.6 %) values it also represented a novel vagococcal species. Phenotypic characteristics and chemotaxonomic properties of both novel species were typical for vagococci and they contained C16 : 0 (25.5-30.1 %) and C18 : 1 ω9c (67.3-73.0 %) as the major cellular fatty acids. The streptomycin-resistant genotype of STAA11T and STAA25 allowing the growth on streptomycin thallous acetate actidione medium was considered to result from a modification in codon 104 of the rpsL gene leading to P104A substitution. The ability of STAA11T and STAA25 to produce ammonia from arginine separated them from PNs007T, which did not show arginine deiminase activity. We propose the names Vagococcus proximus sp. nov. (type strain PNs007T=DSM 115185T=CCUG 76696T) and Vagococcus intermedius sp. nov. (type strain STAA11T=DSM 115183T=CCUG 76697T) for these novel species.
Keywords: modified atmosphere packaged broiler meat; MAP; Vagococcus intermedius sp. nov.; Vagococcus proximus sp. nov.