ABSTRACT
Six strains of a novel anaerobic bacterial taxa exhibiting bile acid-transforming activity were isolated from fecal samples of clinically healthy cats living in Oakland, California. 16S rRNA sequencing and phylogenetic analysis indicate that strain AB800
T
belongs to the genus
Peptacetobacter
, with
Peptacetobacter hiranonis
strain JCM 10541 (98% coverage, 99.7% identity) as its closest relative. Whole genome sequencing shows an average nucleotide identity (ANI) of less than 96% (95.73% ANI, 90.53% AF) with the closest validly named species being
Peptacetobacter hiranonis DGF055142
. The size is about 2.58 Mb, containing 2,355 predicted coding sequences and 2,450 annotated genes. Phenotypic characterisation, and comprehensive genomic analysis, including ANI, digital DNA-DNA hybridization (dDDH) and core genome phylogenetic analysis, placing the strain AB800
T
on a separate branch, supported the classification of a novel species, strain AB800
T
(DSM 120482 = LMG 34035) with the proposed name ‘
Candidatus Peptacetobacter felis’
sp. nov., derived from “
felis”
the latin name of cat
felis catus
. These findings expand our understanding of host-associated bile acid converters and provide promising candidates for probiotic development.