ABILITY OF BIOLOG AND BIOTYPE-100 SYSTEMS TO REVEAL THE TAXONOMIC DIVERSITY OF THE PSEUDOMONADS

A total of 224 strains of the genus Pseudomonas sensu lato were studie d by 99 carbon source utilization tests using BioMerieux Biotype-100 s trips and 96 substrate oxidation tests using the Biolog GN Micro Flare system. Biotype 200 and Biolog data were computer analyzed using prog rams of the Taxotron package (Institut Pasteur) and the Bionum softwar e (Biolog), respectively. Unweighted pair group method of averages (UP GMA) yielded 34 Biotype phenons and 36 Biolog phenons. A total of 18 p henons had identical composition in both systems. Six phenons were alm ost identical in structure whereas some phenons in one system were lum ped in the other system. Some species (represented by at least three s trains) constituted homogeneous phenons in both Biotype-100 and Biolog systems: Pseudomonas aeruginosa, P. tolaasii, P. mendocina, P. cichor ii, P. viridiflava, P. fragi, P. stutzeri, P. agarici, P. alcaligenes, and P. pseudoalcaligenes, None of the two systems could discriminate P. fuscovaginae from P. asplenii, and P. caricapapayae from P. coronaf aciens. P. corrugata was a tight subphenon in both systems. Strains la beled P. fluorescens were found in six phenons with either Biotype-100 or Biolog systems. Strains of P. putida were found in three (Biolog) or four (Biotype) phenons. Strains of P. marginalis were distributed o ver five phenons in both systems. The use of Biotype-100 strips for Ps eudomonas characterization was also validated by comparison with publi shed carbon source utilization data.