Deoxyribonucleic Acid Relatedness Between Serratia plymuthica and Other Serratia Species, with a Description of Serratia odorifera sp. nov. (Type Strain: ICPB 3995)

Abstract

Seven new isolates of Serratiaplymuthica (including two from a human source) and 24 isolates resembling unclustered Serratia strain 38 (Grimont et al., J. Gen. Microbiol98:39-66, 1977) are described. Deoxyribonucleic acid relatedness studies, obtained with labeled reference deoxyribonucleic acid from s. plymuthica 392 confirm that S. plymuthica is a discrete species. Mean percent relatedness of S. plymuthica isolates to strain 392 was 88 f 13.6 (standard deviation), whereas the mean percent relatedness of S. Ziquefaciens isolates (the closest species) to strain 392 was 52 f 12.4. Strain 38 and twenty-four "38-like" isolates constitute a new deoxyribonucleic acid hybridization group that is 28 to 43% related to Serratia species and to the "Citrobacter-like" group of Leclerc and Buttiaux, and 15 to 22% related to other known species of Enterobacteriaceae. This 38-like group constitutes a new species that is named Serratia odorifera sp. nov. (type strain, ICPB 3995). Two biotypes (1 and 2) are described. Strains of this species will grow on caprylate-thallous agar (selective for Serratia spp.), and they have a characteristic odor. Most strains of S. odorifera were recovered from clinical specimens.

The phylogenetic position of Serratia, Buttiauxella and some other genera of the family Enterobacteriaceae

“…As the descriptions of the Serratia species are supported by low values for DNA-DNA reassociation with their nearest neighbours (Gavini et al, 1979;Grimont et al, 1978Grimont et al, , 1979Grimont et al, , 1988, is not surprising to see most of them well separated in the phylogenetic tree. The species form two phylogenetic clusters -abbreviated Serratia clusters I and I1 (Fig.…”

“…Under stringent reassociation conditions, members of the three species show less than 37% relative binding (similarity), which characterizes them as genomically well-defined species (Steigerwalt et al, 1976 ;Grimont et al, 1978). Members of cluster I1 contain the other species, of which Serratia proteamaculans subsp.…”

Serratia Infections: from Military Experiments to Current Practice

“…S. odorifera was named in 1978 by Grimont and others, who studied 25 similar strains that were isolated mostly from various human specimens (165). S. odorifera is not pigmented and was named for its characteristic potato-like odor (165). Then, Gavini and others found that 20 organisms that had similar characteristics and that were isolated from water were a new species, and they named it S. fonticola in 1979 (145).…”

“…Twenty-three of the strains were isolated from human specimens, although clinical significance was not established for any of them. Two different biogroups, 1 and 2, have been identified (165). In 1985, Farmer and others described 22 S. odorifera biogroup 1 isolates and 30 biogroup 2 isolates; 16 of the biogroup 1 isolates were recovered from human specimens, and 27 of the biogroup 2 isolates were from human specimens.…”

“…S. odorifera was named in 1978 by Grimont and others, who studied 25 similar strains that were isolated mostly from various human specimens (165). S. odorifera is not pigmented and was named for its characteristic potato-like odor (165).…”