Streptomyces acidiscabies sp. nov.

Abstract

A new bacterial species is described, for which we propose the name Streptomyces acidiscabies. This organism causes a scab disease of potatoes (Solanum tuberosum) which may occur in soils with pH values below 5.2. The acid scab symptoms caused by this organism are indistinguishable from the symptoms of commn scab caused by Streptomyces scabies. In culture, S. acidiscabies is distinct from S. scabies, having flexuous spore chains, a growth medium-dependent spore mass color ranging from white to organish red, and a red or yellow, pH-sensitive diffusible pigment rather than melanin. S. acidiscabies grows on agar media at pH 4.0 (versus pH 5.0 for S. scabies), does not use raffinose as a carbon source, and tolerates higher concentrations of crystal violet (0.5 μg/ml), thallium acetate (10 μg/ml), streptomycin (20 μg/ml), oleandomycin (25 μg/ml), and penicillin G (10 IU/ml) than S. scabies. The type strain of S. acidiscabies is strain RL-110 (= ATCC 49003).