Isolation and characterization of unrecorded yeasts species in the family Metschnikowiaceae and Bulleribasidiaceae in Korea

The goal of this study was to isolate and identify wild yeasts from soil samples. The 15 wild yeast strains were isolated from the soil samples collected in Pocheon city, Gyeonggi Province, Korea. Among them, four yeast stains were unrecorded, and 11 yeast stains were previously recorded in Korea. To identify wild yeasts, microbiological characteristics were observed by API 20C AUX kit. Pairwise sequence comparisons of the D1/D2 domain of the 26S rRNA were performed using Basic Local Alignment Search Tool(BLAST). Cell morphology of yeast strains was examined by phase contrast microscope. All strains were oval-shaped and polar budding and positive for assimilation of glucose, 2-keto-ᴅ-gluconate, N-acetyl-ᴅ-glucosamine, ᴅ-maltose and ᴅ-saccharose (sucrose). There is no official report that describes these four yeast species: one strain of the genus Kodamaea in the family Metschnikowiaceae and three strains of the Hannaella in the family Bulleribasidiaceae. Kodamaea ohmeri YI7, Hannaella kunmingensis YP355, Hannaella luteola YP230 and Hannaella oryzae YP366 were recorded in Korea, for the first time.