Acidomonas gen. nov., Incorporating Acetobacter methanolicus as Acidomonas methanolica comb. nov.

Abstract

A new genus of acidophilic, facultatively methylotrophic bacteria is described. These organisms are gram-negative, nonsporeforming, nonmotile, and rod shaped and grow at pH 2.0 to 5.5. These characteristics are unique among the methanol-utilizing bacteria. The deoxyribonucleic acid base composition is 63 to 65 mol% guanine plus cytosine. Acetobacter methanolicus TK 0705T (T = type strain) is a typical strain in this group. These bacteria are distinguished from type and representative strains of Acetobacter, Gluconobacter, Acidiphilium, and Thiobacillus on the basis of deoxyribonucleic acid-deoxyribonucleic acid homology. A new genus, Acidomonas, is proposed to include this group.of methylotrophic bacteria. The type species of the genus Acidomonas is Acidomonas methanolica comb, nov., with type strain TK 0705 (= IMET 10945).