Characterization of Alteromonas denitrificans sp. nov.

Abstract

Eleven strains of gram-negative, denitrifying, prodigionine-producing marine bacteria with sheathed flagella were recovered from the fjord system off the Norwegian west coast. These isolates form a physiologically and morphologically very homogeneous group. Apart from their ability to denitrify and having sheathed flagella, the strains correspond closely to the current description of the genus Alteromonas. Their strictly respiratory metabolism precludes their inclusion in the genus Vibrio, and the low guanine-plus-cytosine contents of their deoxyribonucleic acids preclude their inclusion in the genus Pseudomonas or the genus Marinomonas. Despite their ability to denitrify, we suggest that these organisms belong to the genus Alteromonas and constitute a new species, Alteromonas denitrificans. A detailed description of the type strain of Alteromonas denitrificans, Nygaard 1977, is given. The type strain has been deposited with the American Type Culture Collection, Rockville, Md., as strain ATCC 43337.