A large number of Gram-negative, motile, mesophilic, violacein-producing bacteria were isolated from the soils and roots of Vaccinium macrocarpon Ait. and Kalmia angustifolia L. plants and from irrigation ponds associated with wild and cultivated cranberry bogs in Massachusetts, USA. Phylogenetic analyses of 16S rRNA gene sequences placed these isolates in a clade with
Chromobacterium
species, but the specialized environment from which they were isolated, their low genomic DNA relatedness with
Chromobacterium violaceum
ATCC 12472T and
C. subtsugae
PRAA4-1T, significant differences in fatty acid composition and colony morphology indicate that the cranberry and Kalmia isolates comprise a separate species of
Chromobacterium
, for which the name Chromobacterium vaccinii sp. nov. is proposed. Strain MWU205T ( = ATCC BAA-2314T = DSM 25150T) is proposed as the type strain for the novel species. Phenotypic analysis of 26 independent isolates of C. vaccinii sp. nov. indicates that, despite close geographical and biological proximity, there is considerable metabolic diversity among individuals within the population.
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