Summary: We compared 21 bacterial strains isolated in Belgium from cultivated Agaricus bisporus, Pleurotus ostreatus and Psalliota edulis showing typical brown blotch symptoms, with 12 culture collection strains of Pseudomonas tolaasii, nine P. agarici strains causing drippy gill, four ‘P. gingeri’ strains causing ginger blotch, three Pseudomonas strains responsible for mummy disease, three saprophytic P. fluorescens, four P. aeruginosa and three ‘P. gingeri’ strains. All strains were characterized by 147 auxanographic API tests (API 50CH, API 50AO, API 50AA) and by 128 (for 14 strains, 55) additional biochemical, serological and phytopathological features. The results were analysed by numerical methods. Taking into account also results obtained by gel electrophoresis of soluble proteins and by DNA:DNA hybridizations, we were able to differentiate seven groups, corresponding respectively to P. aeruginosa (phenon I), P. fluorescens biovar II (phenon II), (phenon III), P. tolaasii, including nine of our own isolates (phenon IV), the so-called white line reacting organisms, containing 11 of our own isolates (phenon V), two mummy disease isolates (phenon VI) and P. agarici (phenon VII). P. tolaasii formed a homogeneous group, containing both virulent and avirulent strains. The saprophytic white line reacting organisms of phenon V were, despite their phenotypic similarity, heterogeneous genotypically and in their gel electrophoresis patterns. A determinative scheme for the differentiation of P. tolaasii, the white line reacting organisms and the other Pseudomonas species occurring on mushrooms is proposed.
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