A Gram-stain-positive, short rod-shaped and motile, mildly halotolerant, endospore-forming bacterium, FJAT-13985(T), was isolated from the internal tissues of Mesona chinensis root. Strain FJAT-13985(T) grew at 20-45 °C (optimum 30 °C) and pH 5.7-9.0 (optimum pH 7.0) and in the presence of 0-2% (w/v) NaCl [optimum 1% (w/v)]. The strain was catalase-positive and oxidase-negative. The cell wall of strain FJAT-13985(T) contained meso-diaminopimelic acid and the predominant isoprenoid quinone was MK-7 (97.4%). The major fatty acids of the strain were anteiso-C15:0 (23.3%) and iso-C15:0 (40.8%). The DNA G+C content was 41.64 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain FJAT-13985(T) is a member of the genus Bacillus and is most closely related to Bacillus drentensis DSM 15600(T) (98.4%), Bacillus vireti DSM 15602(T) (98.2%) and Bacillus novalis DSM 15603(T) (98.3%). DNA-DNA hybridization indicated that relatedness between strain FJAT-13985(T) and its closest relative, B. drentensis DSM 15600(T), was 36.63%. The phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and genotypic properties clearly indicate that strain FJAT-13985(T) represents a novel species of the genus Bacillus, for which the name Bacillus mesonae sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is FJAT-13985(T) ( = DSM 25968(T) = CGMCC1.12238(T)).
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