In a comparative study of the phenotypic properties of 421 strains of All strains originally isolated from a specific host plant, regardless of Erwinia species, all strains of E. chry'santhemi were separated from the geographic location, generally belonged to the same phenotypic other Erwinia spp. primarily by three physiological characters: production subdivision. Strains included in subdivisions I and I1 had been isolated from of gas from D-glucose, phosphatase production, and inability to produce specific or closely related hosts, whereas, the other subdivisions (1l1, IV, V) acid from D-trehalose. The 322 strains of E. chr'vsanthemi were separated each included strains from diverse hosts. into five infrasubspecific subdivisions based on 12 physiological properties.

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The description for three strains of Erwinia cancerogena was expanded to include 108 phenotypic characters. These strains were compared with seven strains of Erwinia carotovora subsp. carotovora and the type strains of Enterobacter (Erwinia) nimipressuralis, Enterobacter cloacae, Enterobacter amnigenus, and Enterobacter intermedium. Our results support the proposal to transfer Erwinia cancerogena to the genus Enterobacter as Enterobacter cancerogenus comb. nov.The bacteria isolated by UroSeviC from poplars (Populus species) affected by a canker disease were described and designated Erwinia cancerogena in 1966 (28). Although Lelliott (18) and Lelliott and Dickey (20) have indicated that Erwinia cancerogena probably is a species of Enterobacter because it produces positive reactions for arginine and ornithine decarboxylase, additional data have not been reported to substantiate the suggested change to Enterobacter.A preliminary comparison of 48 characters showed that the level of similarity between Erwinia cancerogena and Erwinia amylovora is 54%, whereas the level of similarity between Erwinia cancerogena and Erwinia carotovora subsp. carotovora is 85%, which is greater than the levels of similarity for the other 14 species or subspecies of Erwinia (unpublished data). A close relationship between Erwinia cancerogena and Enterobacter (Erwinia) nimipressuralis, Enterobacter cloacae, Enterobacter amnigenus, and Enterobacter intermedium was indicated by a comparison with results reported previously for additional species of the family Enterobacteriaceae (3,6,8,9,15,16,21,26,29).The purpose of this study was to expand the phenotypic characterization of Erwinia cancerogena and to determine its relationship to strains of Erwinia carotovora subsp. carotovora and to the type strains of Enterobacter nimipressuralis, Enterobacter cloacae, Enterobacter amnigenus, and Enterobacter intermedium. Morphological, physiological, and biochemical tests. The strains were stained with the Hucker modification of the Gram staining procedure (lo), and bacterial suspensions were examined by phase-contrast microscopy for cell morphology and motility. Motility test agar (Difco) and motility test medium (9) also were used. The bacteria were negatively stained for 5 to 10 min with a 1:l mixture of 0.5% uranyl acetate and 0.025% bacitracin for examination of flagella by electron microscopy or were stained with Ryu flagellum stain (22) for light microscopy. Pigment production was determined on Difco nutrient agar and yeast extract-dextrose-calcium carbonate agar (7) at 27°C. MATERIALS AND METHODS Bacterial strains. Three strains of Erwinia cancerogena

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The phytopathogenic bacterium which causes soft rot of the pseudostem of Musa paradisiaca Linnaeus has been designated previously as Erwiriia carotovora subsp, paradisiaca, E. paradisiaca, E. carotovora subsp. chrysanthemi, and E. chrysanthemi. Thirty strains were examined and compared with strains of closely related Erwinia species and their subspecies. The strains from M. paradisiaca were found to be phenotypically similar to E. chrysanthemi strains on the basis of the following characteristics: pectate degradation; production of phosphatase, indole, acetoin, and acid from ethanol; growth at 36 to 37°C; susceptibility to erythromycin; gas from glucose; utilization of malonate; no growth in 5% NaCl; and no production of acid from a-methyl-d-glucoside, trehalose, maltose, lactose, or palatinose. They could be distinguished from 322 strains of E. chrysanthemi isolated from 22 other plant hosts by the following phenotypic properties: production of acid from D-arabinose and raffinose; utilization of sodium tartrate; no production of lecithinase or of acid from inulin, mannitol, or sorbitol; and inability to liquefy gelatin.