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Actinomyces dentalis sp. nov., from a human dental abscess

¹ Anaerobe Reference Laboratory, NPHS Microbiology Cardiff, University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff CF14 4XW, UK
² School of Food Biosciences, University of Reading, Reading, UK
³ Culture Collection, Department of Clinical Bacteriology, University of Göteborg, Göteborg, Sweden

Correspondence
Val Hall
hallv{at}cardiff.ac.uk

A previously undescribed filamentous, beaded, Gram-positive, rod-shaped bacterium was isolated from pus of a human dental abscess. Based on its cellular morphology and the results of biochemical testing the organism was tentatively identified as a member of the genus Actinomyces, but it did not correspond to any currently recognized species of this genus. Comparative 16S rRNA gene sequencing studies showed the bacterium represents a distinct subline within the genus Actinomyces, clustering within a group of species that includes Actinomyces bovis, the type species of the genus. Sequence divergence values of >8 % with other recognized species within this phylogenetic group clearly demonstrated that the organism represents a hitherto unknown species. Based on biochemical and molecular phylogenetic evidence, it is proposed that the unidentified organism recovered from a dental abscess be classified as a novel species, Actinomyces dentalis sp. nov. The type strain is R18165^T (=CCUG 48064^T=CIP 108337^T).