DESCRIPTION OF 4 PENTACHLOROPHENOL-DEGRADING BACTERIAL STRAINS AS SPHINGOMONAS-CHLOROPHENOLICA SP-NOV

The chemotaxonomy, physiology and ultrastructure were studied of four pentachlorophenol (PCP) degrading strains known as Arthrobacter sp. AT CC 33790, Flavobacterium sp. ATCC 39723, Pseudomonas sp. RA2 and Pseud omonas sp. SR3. All of them were Gram-negative rods, and electron micr oscopy revealed an outer membrane in each of the four strains. The who le cell fatty acid compositions of the strains were similar: from 56 t o 62% of octadecenoic and from 7 to 15% each of 2-hydroxymyristic, cis -9-hexadecenoic and hexadecanoic acids. All strains contained sphingol ipids and no lipopolysaccharide. The main respiratory quinone was ubiq uinone 10, and the G+C contents of the DNA ranged from 63 to 67 mol%. On the basis of chemotaxonomic data, biochemical and physiological pro perties, and whole cell protein profiles, the four pentachlorophenol-d egrading strains Arthrobacter sp. ATCC 33790, Flavobacterium sp. ATCC 39723, Pseudomonns sp. RA2 and Pseudomonas sp. SR3 were reclassified i n the genus Sphingomonas as a new species S. chlorophenolica sp. nov.