Description of Three New Species of the Genus Peptostreptococcus from Human Clinical Specimens: Peptostreptococcus harei sp. nov., Peptostreptococcus ivorii sp. nov., and Peptostreptococcus octavius sp. nov.

In a previous investigation of the laboratory identification of clinical strains of the genus Peptostreptococcus, several isolates were found to be atypical. In this study, we further examined these strains by using both phenotypic and genotypic methods. Based on our findings, we describe the following three new species of the genus Peptostreptococcus from human clinical specimens: Peptostreptococcus harei, whose type strain is DSM 10020 (isolated from a sacral sore); Peptostreptococcus ivorii, whose type strain is DSM 10022 (isolated from a leg ulcer); and Peptostreptococcus octavius, whose type strain is NCTC 9810 (isolated from nasal flora). An analysis of their 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that all three species are related to Clostridium cluster XIII, which includes most species of the genus Peptostreptococcus. The phenotypic characteristics of the new species are described.