From the metagenome of a carbamazepine amended selective enrichment culture the genome of a new to science bacterial species affiliating with the genus Nocardioides was reconstructed. From the same enrichment an aerobic actinobacterium, strain CBZ_1T, sharing 99.4% whole-genome sequence similarity with the reconstructed Nocardioides sp. bin genome was isolated. On the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity the novel isolate affiliated to the genus Nocardioides, with the closest relatives Nocardioides kongjuensis DSM19082T (98.4%), Nocardioides daeguensis JCM17460T (98.4%) and Nocardioides nitrophenolicus DSM15529T (98.2%). Using a polyphasic approach it was confirmed that the isolate CBZ_1T represents a new phyletic lineage within the genus Nocardioides.

According to metagenomic, metatranscriptomic studies and metabolic analyses strain CZB_1T was abundant in both carbamazepine and ibuprofen enrichments, and harbors biodegradative genes involved in the biodegradation of pharmaceutical compounds. Biodegradation studies supported that the new species was capable of ibuprofen biodegradation. After 7 weeks of incubation, in mineral salts solution supplemented with glucose (3 g l-1) as co-substrate, 70% of ibuprofen was eliminated by strain CBZ_1T at an initial conc. of 1.5 mg l-1.

The phylogenetic, phenotypic and chemotaxonomic data supported the classification of strain CBZ_1T to the genus Nocardioides, for which the name Nocardioides carbamazepini sp. nov. (CBZ_1T = NCAIM B.0.2663 = LMG 32395) is proposed.

To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that reports simultaneous genome reconstruction of a new to science bacterial species using metagenome binning and at the same time the isolation of the same novel bacterial species.