Characterization of Gordonia sinesedis Isolated from a Zebu Cow Suffering from Lymphadenitis

Most of the Gordonia species described earlier have been considered as opportunistic pathogens in humans, but recently described species have been isolated from the environment with notable roles in bioremediation or the biodegradation of pollutants. A gram-positive slightly acid-fast nocardioform bacterium, strain SD256 (DSM 45847), was isolated from a granulomatous lymph node of a zebu cow at Kaduqli, western Sudan, was subjected to a polyphasic taxonomic study. The strain was found to have morphological, biochemical and chemotaxonomic properties that were consistent with its assignment to the genus Gordonia. Although the strain exhibited some phenotypic variations from the type strain of Gordonia sinesedis, 16S rRNA gene sequencing (accession: KC895879) and DNA-DNA relatedness showed 100% and 99.6% similarity, respectively. Microbiologic diagnoses of fastidious actinomycetes such as Gordonia species are often difficult and challenging. However, the combined phenotypic and genotypic data confirm that this strain is a member of Gordonia sinesedis, which represents a first record of Gordonia infection in farm animals.