* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Organic Materials, Osaka National Research Institute, AIST, Ikeda, Osaka 563, Japan. Fax: 81-727-51-9628. Electronic mail address: ivep@onrigo.jp.
Nine nonpigmented strains of gram-negative, aerobic, marine bacteria with polar flagella were isolated from the mussels Crenomytilus grayanus and Patinopecten jessoensis. These organisms were conspecific and exhibited relatively high levels of genetic relatedness (61 to 100%). The G+C contents of the DNAs of these strains were 38.5 to 40.2 mol%. The strains isolated from mussels were phenotypically distinct from previously described Alteromonas species that have similar DNA G+C contents (Alteromonas haloplanktis, Alteromonas tetraodonis, Alteromonas atlantica, and Alteromonas carrageenovora), and their DNAs exhibited only 12 to 41% similarity with the DNAs of the type strains of these species. DNA-DNA hybridization data revealed that the levels relatedness between the strains which we studied and the type strain of Alteromonas nigrifaciens were significant (66 to 70%). Production of a melanin-like pigment, which is characteristic of A. nigrifaciens, was observed only in tyrosine-containing media. The strains isolated from mussels were identified as A. nigrifaciens. We present an emended description of A. nigrifaciens that includes several phenotypic and chemotaxonomic characteristics.
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