Sulfate- and sulfur-reducing bacteria enriched from Black Sea sediment: description of Desulfoturritor canfieldii gen. nov., sp. nov.

We set up duplicate anoxic enrichment cultures and dilution series with anoxic Black Sea sediment as inoculum, selecting for the reduction of sulfate, thiosulfate or elemental sulfur with various electron donors. The enriched microorganisms were identified through 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing, and isolated using solid media. From a sulfate/lactate dilution series culture, we isolated and characterized a novel Desulfobulbaceae SRB with the ability to grow autotrophically and respire sulfate, sulfite, thiosulfate, dimethylsulfoxide and manganese oxide. Based on chemotaxonomic markers (lipids and quinones) and average amino acid identity (63%) the isolate represents a novel genus and is proposed to be named Desulfoturritor canfieldii (gen nov., sp. nov.).