Psychrotolerant Erwinia psychrophila sp. nov. and Erwinia magellanica sp. nov. Isolated from Penguin Faeces

Our taxonomic study was aimed at characterizing enteric bacteria isolated from faecal samples of Magellanic penguins (Spheniscus magellanicus) collected in Cabo Virgenes, Patagonia, Argentina, in 2016 and 2017. Initial sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene assigned two psychrotolerant strains, P6884T and P7711T, to the genus Erwinia. The closest phylogenetic relatives of the strains were Erwinia billingiae and Erwinia endophytica type strains, with 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity values between 98.4% and 98.9%. Whole-genome sequence analysis revealed that the strains analyzed could not be assigned to any validly named Erwinia species based on ANI and dDDH similarity values. Moreover, the ANI and dDDH similarities between the strains P6884T and P7711T genomes analyzed were 79.4% and 22.6%, respectively, indicating that they are distinct taxa. Further analysis using phenotyping and chemotaxonomy showed that the strains represent two newly discovered species of the genus Erwinia. The type strains P6884T (= CCM 9357T = LMG 33570T) representing Erwinia psychrophila sp. nov., and P7711T (= CCM 9358T = LMG 33569T) representing Erwinia magellanica sp. nov., were deposited in the Czech Collection of Microorganisms and BCCM/LMG Bacteria Collection. Erwinia species are typically associated with plants, fruits, and vegetables, and some species are important phytopathogens responsible for diseases in several economically important crops. The isolation of Erwinia species from penguin droppings shows that the microflora of penguin droppings, which can alter soil geochemistry in rookeries, may indicate yet unknown interactions within the Patagonian environment.