Eubacterium angustum sp. nov., a Gram-positive anaerobic,non-sporeforming,obligate purine fermenting organism

A strictly anaerobic, uric acid, xanthine, and guanine fermenting bacterium was isolated from sewage sludge requiring thiamine as a vitamin. Acetate, formate, ammonia and CO₂ were products. Cells were Gram-positive, straight rods, 3 to 6.5 m long and 1.1 to 1.5 m wide. They were non-motile, however, possessed flagella. Spore formation could not be obtained. The guanine-plus-cytosine content (G+C) of its deoxyribonucleic acid was 40.3 mol%. Based on these features, the organism belongs to the genus Eubacterium. Due to its restricted substrate spectrum and its inability to utilize arginine or to form cytochromes like E. lentum, this organism did not resemble any of the previously described species of Eubacterium. Therefore, it is proposed to form a new species Eubacterium angustum sp. nov.This paper is dedicated to Prof. Dr. Hans G. Schlegel on the occasion of his 60th birthday