biostudies-literatureUnknown75(5)Brown PIn September 2018, Hurricane Florence resulted in major flooding in North Carolina, USA. Efforts to isolate <i>Listeria monocytogenes</i> and other <i>Listeria</i> spp. from Hurricane Florence floodwaters repeatedly yielded non-haemolytic <i>Listeria</i>-like isolates that could not be readily assigned to known <i>Listeria</i> taxa. Whole-genome sequence analyses against the 28 currently known <i>Listeria</i> species confirmed that the isolates constitute two new taxa within the genus <i>Listeria</i>. Taxon I, with one isolate, showed the highest similarity to <i>Listeria goaensis,</i> with an average nucleotide identity blast of 85.3±4.4% and an <i>in silico</i> DNA-DNA hybridization (<i>is</i>DDH) of 32.4% (range: 30-35%), differing from the latter by its ability to reduce nitrate, fermeInternational journal of systematic and evolutionary microbiologyhttps://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC12378429biostudies-literature<i>Listeria tempestatis</i> sp. nov. and <i>Listeria rocourtiae</i> subsp. <i>hofi</i> subsp. nov.PMC12378429Brown PNiedermeyer JLecuit MTessaud-Rita NHarris AKathariou SVales GEmanuel REMoura AParsons CLeclercq Afalse<i>Listeria tempestatis</i> sp. nov. and <i>Listeria rocourtiae</i> subsp. <i>hofi</i> subsp. nov.In September 2018, Hurricane Florence resulted in major flooding in North Carolina, USA. Efforts to isolate <i>Listeria monocytogenes</i> and other <i>Listeria</i> spp. from Hurricane Florence floodwaters repeatedly yielded non-haemolytic <i>Listeria</i>-like isolates that could not be readily assigned to known <i>Listeria</i> taxa. Whole-genome sequence analyses against the 28 currently known <i>Listeria</i> species confirmed that the isolates constitute two new taxa within the genus <i>Listeria</i>. Taxon I, with one isolate, showed the highest similarity to <i>Listeria goaensis,</i> with an average nucleotide identity blast of 85.3±4.4% and an <i>in silico</i> DNA-DNA hybridization (<i>is</i>DDH) of 32.4% (range: 30-35%), differing from the latter by its ability to reduce nitrate, ferme2025-01-01T00:00:00Z2025 May2026-05-09T17:57:20.248Z2026-04-08T01:08:00.916ZS-EPMC123784294035800910.1099/ijsem.0.006774