Rothia endophytica

Rothia endophytica is a species of Gram-positive aerobic, non-motile bacteria in the genus Rothia, family Micrococcaceae. It was originally isolated in 2012 from surface-sterilized roots of the plant Dysophylla stellata.^[1] It has also been recovered from the tonsils of healthy pigs.^[2]

Rothia endophytica
Scientific classification
Domain:	Bacteria
Kingdom:	Bacillati
Phylum:	Actinomycetota
Class:	Actinomycetes
Order:	Micrococcales
Family:	Micrococcaceae
Genus:	Rothia
Species:	R. endophytica
Binomial name
Rothia endophytica Xiong et al. 2013
Type strain
YIM 67072T (=DSM 26247T =JCM 18541T)

Etymology

The name endophytica refers to its endophytic origin, from the Greek endo (within) and phyton (plant), highlighting its initial recovery from internal plant tissues.^[1]

Isolation and ecology

Rothia endophytica was first isolated from the roots of the plant Dysophylla stellata collected in Yunnan Province, China.^[1] More recently, it has also been identified in the tonsils of healthy pigs as part of metagenomic and cultivation-based studies,^[2] expanding its known habitat beyond plants to mammalian hosts.

Morphology and physiology

Cells of R. endophytica are ovoid to coccoid in shape (0.5–1.0 μm × 0.5–1.5 μm), Gram-positive, non-spore-forming, and occur singly, in pairs, or in tetrads.^[1]

Type strain

The type strain of R. endophytica is:

• YIM 67072^T = DSM 26247^T = JCM 18541^T