Pasteurella pantherarum sp. nov., a novel species obtained from the oral cavity of lions and tigers representing a possible new candidate for bite wounds inflicted by these animals.

A new taxon, including 25 strains, obtained from the oral cavity of lions, tigers and a karakal in Danish zoos, was characterized phenotypically and genotypically. Colonies were typical of bacteria of taxa within Pasteurella cultured on Columbia blood agar or chocolate agar and demonstrated a variation in diameter of 1.5-2 mm after 24 h of incubation at 37 °C. Fourteen isolates were characterized by 16S rRNA gene sequencing and showed 98-100% identity with the highest similarity of 97-98% to the type strain of Pasteurella multocida. Partial rpoB gene sequences showed 97-100% identity among strains within the new taxon with the highest similarity of 90% to the type strain of Pasteurella stomatis, documenting a separate species status. Whole genomic sequences of ten strains showed the highest dDDH similarity of 25% to the genome of any Pasteurella species. The G+C content is 40.3 mol%. MALDI-TOF MS analysis clustered the isolates close together and clearly separated them from other Pasteurella species, making this the method of choice for identification. Based on monophyly and 97-98% 16S rRNA gene sequence identity to the type strain of P. multocida, as well as the presence of typical genotypic and phenotypic characteristics of Pasteurella sensu stricto like acid from (+)-d-galactose and (+)-d-mannose, the new species is classified in the genus Pasteurella as Pasteurella pantherarum. The type strain is RT1han1T (=DSM 118579T=CCUG 77951T), isolated from the oral cavity of a lion in a Danish zoo.