Numerical Analysis of Phenotypic Features and Protein Gel Electrophoregrams of a Wide Variety of Acetobacter strains. Proposal for the Improvement of the Taxonomy of the Genus Acetobacter Beijerinck 1898, 215

Abstract

Ninety-eight strains, representing all Acetobacter species and subspecies from the Approved Lists of Bacterial Names (Skerman et al., 1980), were examined in a numerical analysis of 177 phenotypic features and compared to ninety-eight Gluconobacter and seven Frateuria strains. Four phenons could be delineated, corresponding to Frateuria (phenon 1), A. aceti subsp. liquefaciens (phenon 2), Gluconobacter (phenon 3) and Acetobacter minus A. aceti subsp. liquefaciens (phenon 4). Acetobacter, Frateuria and Gluconobacter are well- could be distinguished. Comparison of the protein electrophoregrams of Acetobacter strains revealed a fairly high internal homogeneity within phenon 2, subphenons C and D. Strains of the subphenon E gave very divergent protein patterns. The following classificatory changes are proposed within the genus Acetobacter: (1) Acetobacter liquefaciens sp. nov. is proposed for the homogeneous phenon 2, containing all 12 A. aceti subsp. liquefaciens strains (% G + C range of 62.3 to 64.6; IAM 1834 as type strain); (2) for the homogeneous subphenon D containing 8 A. aceti subsp. aceti strains, the name Acetobacter aceti emend, should be retained (% G + C range of 55.9 to 59.5; NCIB 8621 as type strain); (3) for subphenon E, a heterogeneous group, containing a variety of Acetobacter subspecies (all with their type strain) the species name Acetobacter pasteurianus emend, is preserved with LMD 22.1 as type strain; this species has the broad % G + C range of 52.8 to 62.5; (4) for subphenon C, a new species, Acetobacter hansenii sp. nov. is proposed (% G + C range of 58.1 to 62.6, NCIB 8746 as type strain). Minimal descriptions and differentiating keys are provided.