RHODOCOCCUS LUTEUS IS A LATER SUBJECTIVE SYNONYM OF RHODOCOCCUS FASCIANS

The results of DNA-DNA hybridization studies and 16S ribosomal DNA seq uence comparisons and chemotaxonomic data clearly indicated that Rhodo coccus luteus Nesterenko et al. 1982 (O. A. Nesterenko, T. M. Nogina, S. A. Kasumova, E. I. Kvasnikow, and S. G. Batrakov, Int. J. Syst. Bac teriol. 32:1-14, 1982) and Rhodococcus fascians (Tilford) Goodfellow 1 984 (M. Goodfellow, Syst. Appl. Microbiol. 5:225-229, 1984) represent a single species. On the basis of priority R. luteus must be considere d a later subjective synonym of R. fascians.