A Gram-stain-negative, rod-shaped, oxidase-positive, non-spore-forming, non-motile bacterium (strain 280(T)) isolated from a chicken was studied for its taxonomic allocation. 16S rRNA gene sequence analyses clearly allocated the isolate in the genus Paenochrobactrum group with a 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity of 98.8% to the currently recognized species, Paenochrobactrum gallinarii and Paenochrobactrum glaciei. This allocation was confirmed by the fatty acid data (major fatty acids: C18:1ω7c and C19:0 cyclo ω8c) and a polyamine pattern with the major compound putrescine and relatively high amounts of spermidine. Also, the polar lipid profile with phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatiylmonomethylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylcholine and the genus-specific 'stretched aminolipid' was well in line with the description of the genus Paenochrobactrum. The quinone system consisted predominantly of ubiquinone Q-10 with traces of Q-9 and Q-11. DNA-DNA hybridization of strain 280T with Paenochrobactrum gallinarii Sa25T and Paenochrobactrum glaciei KMM 3858T showed relatedness values of 38.8% (reciprocal 20.2%) and 30.2% (reciprocal 29.8%), respectively. These results in combination with differentiating physiological and biochemical data clearly showed that strain 280T merits species status. We propose the name Paenochrobactrum pullorum sp. nov. to accommodate this strain with the type strain 280T (=LMG 28095T=CIP 110700T).
