Summary
TheAcetobacter genus as presently constituted include two distinctly different morphological types, one having peritrichous flagella with a wavelength averaging 2.9 μ and the other having polar multitrichous flagella with a wavelength averaging 1.4 μ. All of the peritrichously flagellated types actively oxidized acetic and lactic acids to CO2 and H2O, while none of the polar flagellated types showed this property. It is proposed that the presentAcetobacter genus be divided into two genera:Acetobacter andAcetomonas gen.nov. The redefinedAcetobacter genus should include only peritrichously flagellated species and nonflagellated species with similar physiology.Acetomonas gen. nov. should include only polar multitrichous species and nonflagellated species of similar physiology. Typical species of the redefinedAcetobacter genus should oxidize acetic or lactic acid to CO2 and H2O while typical species ofAcetomonas gen. nov. should not have this property.
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Leifson, E. The flagellation and taxonomy of species ofAcetobacter . Antonie van Leeuwenhoek 20, 102–110 (1954). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02543712
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02543712