Brachybacterium saurashtrense sp. nov., a halotolerant root-associated bacterium with plant growth-promoting potential.

A Gram-positive-staining, aerobic, non-motile, coccoid shaped, halotolerant bacterium (strain JG 06(T)) was isolated from the roots of Salicornia brachiata, an extreme halophyte. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequence showed that the novel strain had sequence similarities of 99.2% to Brachybacterium paraconglomeratum JCM 11608(T), 99.

Evidence for a plant-associated natural habitat for Cronobacter spp.

Cronobacter (Enterobacter sakazakii) species are responsible for rare cases of necrotising enterocolitis and bacteraemia in infants, as well as cases of meningitis with high case fatality rates in neonates and immunocompromised infants. Some physiological features, such as the production of a yellow pigment, the formation of a gum-like extracellular polysaccharide and the ability to persist in a desiccated state, suggest an environmental niche for these organisms. To date, the natural habitat of Cronobacter spp.