Streptomyces pharetrae sp. nov., isolated from soil from the semi-arid Karoo region

An actinomycete, strain CZA14T, was isolated from Worcester in the Western Cape province of South Africa. Based on rapid genus identification, 16S-rDNA sequence similarities and chemotaxonomy, strain CZA14T was identified as a member of the genus Streptomyces. It exhibited weak antibiosis against Bacillus coagulans ATCC 7050T, Mycobacterium aurum A+ and Acinetobacter calcoaceticus C91. The results of physiological tests and analysis of the 16S-rDNA sequence allowed for the differentiation of strain CZA14T from other species of the genus Streptomyces. Strain CZA14T therefore represents a new species for which the name Streptomyces pharetrae is proposed, with the type strain CZA14T (=DSM 41856T=NRRL 24333T).