Sphin.go.mo' nas
. Gr. gen. n.
sphingos
of sphinx; Gr. n.
monad
unit, monad; M.L. fem. n.
Sphingomonas
a sphingosine‐containing monad.
Proteobacteria / Alphaproteobacteria / Sphingomonadales / Sphingomonadaceae / Sphingomonas
Straight or slightly curved rods or ovoid cells 0
.
2–1
.
4
×
0
.
5–4
.
0
μ
m
. Gram negative. Asporogenous. Reproduction in most species is by binary fission; budding or asymmetric division as visualized by electron microscopy occurs in two species. Motile or nonmotile. A rosette‐like aggregation caused by polar fimbriae occurs in some species.
Aerobic
, having a strictly respiratory type of metabolism with oxygen as the terminal electron acceptor. Anaerobic nitrate respiration does not occur. Esculin is hydrolyzed.
Two species with bacteriochlorophyll
a
are facultative photoorganotrophs
. Colony color varies from orange or yellow to white to nonpigmented. Catalase positive. Oxidase positive or negative.
Glucuronosyl
‐(
1
→
1
)‐
ceramide
(
SGL‐1
),
galacturonosyl
‐β(
1
→
1
)‐
ceramide
(
in several species
),
and 2‐hydroxymyristic acid occur
,
but not 3‐hydroxy fatty acids
(Table BXII.α83, Figs.BXII.α85, BXII.α86, and BXII.α87). The lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of the cell wall is replaced by sphingolipids (Figs. BXII.α88 and BXII.α89). C
18:1 ω9c
and C
18:1 ω7c
are the major nonpolar fatty acids and
2‐hydroxymyristic acid
is the major 2‐hydroxy acid (Table BXII.α84). Some species are opportunistic pathogens, causing meningitis, septicemia, peritonitis, and neonatal infections in intensive care units. Pathogenicity toward animals is not known.
Free living
in natural and man‐made environments.
The mol
%
G
+
C of the DNA is
: 59–68.
Type species
:
Sphingomonas paucimobilis
(Holmes, Owen, Evans, MaInick and Wilcox 1977a) Yabuuchi, Yano, Oyaizu, Hashimoto, Ezaki and Yamamoto 1990b, 321 (Effective publication: Yabuuchi, Yano, Oyaizu, Hashimoto, Ezaki and Yamamoto 1990a, 116) (
Pseudomonas paucimobilis
Holmes, Owen, Evans, Malnick and Wilcox 1977a, 133.)