BORDETELLA TREMATUM SP-NOV, ISOLATED FROM WOUNDS AND EAR INFECTIONS IN HUMANS, AND REASSESSMENT OF ALCALIGENES-DENITRIFICANS RUGER AND TAN 1983

Ten strains recognized on the basis of a computer-assisted numerical c omparison of whole-cell protein patterns as members of a novel species belonging to the family Alcaligenaceae were examined by using an inte grated phenotypic and genotypic approach, This species, for which we p ropose the name Bordetella trematum sp, nov., was more closely related to the type species of the genus Bordetella (Bordetella pertussis) th an to the type species of the genus Alcaligenes (Alcaligenes faecalis) and had the general characteristics of members of this family (i.e., a DNA base ratio in the range from 57 to 70 mol%, a fatty acid profile characterized by high percentages of 16:0, 17:0 cycle, and 14:0 3OH, nonsaccharolytic metabolism, and several classical biochemical charact eristics, including aerobic and microaerobic growth, catalase activity , assimilation of citrate, an absence of anaerobic growth, and an abse nce of acetylmethylcarbinol acid indole production, gelatin liquefacti on, and esculin hydrolysis), A reevaluation of the criteria used to cl assify Alcaligenes denitrificans Ruger and Tan 1983 and Achromobacter xylosoxidans Yabuuchi and Ohyama 1971 as subspecies of Alcaligenes xyl osoxidans and additional evidence provided in recent studies revealed that, consistent with present standards, it is appropriate to consider these two taxa distinct species of the genus Alcaligenes.