- Volume 37, Issue 1, 1987

API 20E and API 50CHE systems (72 phenotypic tests) were applied to a total of 529 strains, including 421 strains belonging to 21 different Erwinia species, 66 Enterobacter agglomerans strains, 18 Escherichia adecarboxylata strains, and 24 strains of 16 other enterobacteria. The results were analyzed numerically by using the Gower similarity coefficient and the unweighted average linkage method. The named Erwinia strains were distributed over 27 phena, some of which also contained strains received as Enterobacter agglomerans. Strains of Erwinia amylovora, Erwinia chrysanthemi, Erwinia cypripedii, Erwinia mallotivora, Erwinia nigrifluens, Erwinia paradisiaca, Erwinia quercina, Erwinia rubrifaciens, Erwinia salicis, Erwinia stewartii, and Escherichia adecarboxylata constitute separate phena. Erwinia carotovora, Erwinia chrysanthemi, and Erwinia rhapontici are heterogeneous, but distinct from each other and from the other phena. The type strains of Erwinia herbicola, Enterobacter agglomerans, and Erwinia milletiae fall into one phenon, and strains of Erwinia ananas and Erwinia uredovora are in a single phenon. Obviously misnamed Erwinia herbicola and Enterobacter agglomerans strains can be assigned to other species, such as Erwinia cypripedii, Erwinia ananas, Erwinia rhapontici, Rahnella aquatilis, Enterobacter sakazakii, Escherichia adecarboxylata, and Serratia marcescens or to as-yet-unnamed phena. Three Erwinia carnegieana strains, but not the type strain, form one phenon. Erwinia dissolvens and Erwinia nimipressuralis should be allocated to Enterobacter. Our results confirm the heterogeneous taxonomic structure of the genus Erwinia.

Chemotaxonomic analysis of cells of Streptomyces erythraeus NRRL 2338, the type strain of the species, revealed that this strain is not a representative of the genus Streptomyces because the cell walls contain meso-diaminopimelic acid, arabinose, and galactose. I propose that this strain be transferred to the genus Saccharopolyspora Lacey and Goodfellow 1975 as the type strain of a new species, Saccharopolyspora erythraea. The new species Saccharopolyspora erythraea is described, and strain NRRL 2338 (= ATCC 11635 = ISP 5517) is designated the type strain. The description of Streptomyces erythraeus is amended, and a neotype strain, strain NRRL B-5616 (= IMRU 3737), is proposed for this species. A new subspecies of Saccharopolyspora, Saccharopolyspora hirsuta subsp. taberi, is also described.

Fifty-two strains of Fusobacterium species were isolated from oral cavities or lesions contaminated with feline oral flora from 49 different cats. Forty-five strains were from purulent lesions, while the remaining seven strains came from the normal gingivae of three cats less than 6 months old. Of 36 strains which were phenotypically like Fusobacterium russii, 29 showed an average level of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) homology of 87% with the type strain of F. russii, strain ATCC 25533 (isolated from a cat). The remaining seven strains showed an average level of DNA relatedness to F. russii of 53%. An additional eight strains, which were identified as Fusobacterium necrophorum by biochemical tests, had polyacrylantide gel electrophoresis patterns unlike those of F. necrophorum and an average level of DNA homology with F. necrophorum ATCC 25286T(T = type strain) of 25%. These strains showed an average level of DNA homology with Fusobacterium alocis ATCC 35896Tof 96%, although the results of polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and biochemical tests obtained with the isolated strains were unlike the results obtained with F. alocis ATCC 35896T. Four strains isolated from cats had biochemical characteristics of Fusobacterium nucleatum ATCC 25586T. The average level of intragroup DNA homology of these strains with F. nucleatum ATCC 25586Twas 66%, although their polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis patterns differed somewhat from those of the type strain. Four strains isolated from cats were identified as Fusobacterium naviforme on the basis of phenotypic tests; they had an average level of homology with the type strain of F. naviforme, strain ATCC 25832, of 17% and showed low degrees of relatedness with DNAs from all other type strains tested.

Halomonas subglaciescola sp. nov. is proposed, based on the characteristics of 29 strains of halotolerant, nonpigmented bacteria isolated from an Antarctic, hypersaline, meromictic lake. These strains and three reference strains of halotolerant bacteria were tested for 92 attributes. The data were analyzed by numerical taxonomic procedures. The new isolates did not cluster with the three reference strains, which included the type strain of Halomonas elongata. However, some of the isolates did share the following attributes which are characteristic of members of the genus Halomonas: a guanine-plus-cytosine content of 60.9 ± 1.0 to 62.9 ± 0.7 mol%, halotolerancse, largely oxidative mode of metabolism, motility, and peritrichous flagellation. The following are distinguishing features of the new species: cytochrome oxidase positive, no growth at 37°C, and glucose and other sugars are not utilized for growth. The type strain is strain ACAM 12 (= UQM 2926). The species has two biovars; biovar I contains motile strains and is represented by the type strain, and biovar II contains nonmotile strains and is represented by strain ACAM 21 (= UQM 2927).

Hybridizations were performed between labeled ribosomal ribonucleic acids from Brucella abortus ATCC 23448T(T = type strain) and from several other organisms on the one hand and deoxyribonucleic acids from type and representative Brucella strains and from many other gram-negative organisms on the other hand. Brucella forms a tight cluster, with deoxyribonucleic acid homologies close to 100%; its closest neighbors are CDC group Vd, followed by Phyllobacterium. This Brucella ribosomal ribonucleic acid branch links most closely at about 73.1°C Tm(e) with the Agrobacterium-Rhizobium cluster, which is itself a member of ribosomal ribonucleic acid superfamily IV. The deoxyribonucleic acid base compositions of Brucella strains range from 57.9 to 59.2 mol% guanine plus cytosine; the average genome molecular weights of the six species range from 2.37 × 109to 2.82 × 109.

Among the nitrogen-fixing bacteria associated with the roots of Leptochloa fusca (L.) Kunth in salt-affected soils in the Punjab region of Pakistan, we found a homogeneous group of eight diazotrophs. Cells are vibrioid to S shaped, are motile by one polar flagellum, and produce granules of poly-β-hydroxybutyrate. They have a respiratory type of metabolism, show microaerophilic growth when fixing nitrogen, grow well on salts of organic acids, and can also use fructose and mannitol. On nitrogen-free semisolid media, they require biotin, utilize mannitol, but not glucose or sucrose, and cannot acidify glucose aerobically or anaerobically. Optimal growth occurs at 0.25% NaCl and 41°C. Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)-ribosomal ribonucleic acid (rRNA) hybridizations show that the organisms belong to the Azospirillum rRNA branch, where they cluster together with Azospirillum amazonense. They form a phenotypically and protein electrophoretically homogeneous group of bacteria, clearly distinct from Azospirillum amazonense, Azospirillum lipoferum, and Azospirillum brasilense. As no DNA-DNA binding was found with any of the three Azospirillum species, we propose a fourth Azospirillum species for this group of isolates. Because of better growth at increased NaCl concentrations, we named the new species Azospirillum halopraeferens. Strain Au 4 (= LMG 7108) is the type strain, which has been deposited at the Deutsche Sammlung von Mikroorganismen, Göttingen, Federal Republic of Germany, as DSM 3675.

We examined 36 strains of Pseudomonas acidovorans, Pseudomonas testosteroni, and Comamonas terrigena on the basis of phenotypic characters, chemotaxonomic characters, and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)-DNA homology. Strains of these three species share many phenotypic characteristics; these organisms exhibit higher levels of DNA-DNA homology and higher levels of electrophoretic enzyme pattern similarity within the three species than with Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The strains in the three species could be differentiated on the basis of carbon compound assimilation patterns, cellular fatty acid composition, and DNA base composition. We propose that Pseudomonas acidovorans and Pseudomonas testosteroni be transferred to the genus Comamonas, as Comamonas acidovorans comb. nov. and Comamonas testosteroni comb, nov., respectively.

A new species of Saccharomonospora Nonomura and Ohara 1971 is described, for which the name Saccharomonospora azurea is proposed. It is characterized by azure aerial mycelium and single spores mainly on the aerial mycelium. The type strain of S. azurea is strain NA-128 (=SIA 86128).

Four similar strains of gram-negative, red or pink, radiation-resistant, rod-shaped bacteria were isolated from animal feces and freshwater fish. Cell division was a simple type. The deoxyribonucleic acid guanineplus-cytosine (G + C) base ratio was 69 mol%, and menaquinone (MK-8) was found in their respiratory chain. The predominant cellular fatty acids were C15:1 and C16:1. Ornithine was the diamino acid in the peptidoglycan, and the peptidoglycan type of a representative strain was the ornithine-glycine2 (A3β) type. They stained gram negative (by the Hucker modification staining method), and they showed an unusual cell wall structure similar to that of the genus Deinococcus. Their chemotaxonomic features were also very close to those of Deinococcus species. The ribonuclease T1 catalog of 16S ribosomal ribonucleic acid showed a close relationship to those of Deinococcus species. It is proposed that they be named Deinobacter grandis gen. nov., sp. nov.; the designated type strain is KS 0485 (= IAM 13005).

The name “Bacillus amyloliquefaciens” Fukomoto 1943 was not included on the Approved Lists of Bacterial Names and has not been validly published since 1 January 1980; hence, it has lost standing in bacterial nomenclature. The taxon to which this name is applied is a distinct entity, and it can be distinguished from other named species of Bacillus. Consequently, the name Bacillus amyloliquefaciens is revived for the same organism to which the name originally referred. The type strain of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens is strain ATCC 23350.

Genetic and phenotypic characteristics of the possible agent of epizootic bovine abortion, the Ornithodoros coriaceus spirochete, revealed that this organism is a new species of Borrelia. We propose the name Borrelia coriaceae for this species. The type strain of B. coriaceae is strain Co53 (= ATCC 43381). The guanine-plus-cytosine content of the deoxyribonucleic acid of the type strain was determined to be 32.4 mol% (thermal denaturation method).

The type strain of Mycobacterium porcinum had a characteristic pattern of α-, α’-, and epoxymycolic acids. This pattern of mycolic acids has been found previously only in representatives of M. farcinogenes, M. fortuitum, “M. peregrinum,” M. senegalense, M. smegmatis, and M. chitae. Appropriate methods for qualitative analysis (two-dimensional thin-layer chromatography) are described. It is concluded that information on the mycobacterial mycolates should be included in the description of new mycobacterial species.

The taxonomic status of the obligately anaerobic mycoplasmas has remained controversial since their discovery in 1973. For this reason, Anaeroplasma, the single recognized genus, has not been assigned to a higher taxon in the class Mollicutes. Nutritional, biochemical, serological, and genomic data indicate that the anaerobic mollicutes compose a heterogeneous assemblage of organisms, all of which are distinct from facultatively anaerobic mollicutes. A revised and extended classification of these organisms is proposed.