Reclassification of [Pseudomonas] doudoroffii (Baumann et al. 1983) into the genus Oceanomonas gen. nov as Oceanomonas doudoroffii comb. nov., and description of a phenol-degrading bacterium from estuarine water as Oceanomonas baumannii sp nov.

A bacterium, isolate GB6(T), capable of degrading phenol in the presence of elevated salinity was isolated from the estuary of the River Wear, UK. The bacterium was subjected to biochemical and molecular analysis to determine its taxonomic status. These studies indicated that the bacterium was a distinct species closely related to [Pseudomonas] doudoroffii. However, the phylogenetic analysis indicated that [Pseudomonas] doudoroffii was misclassified, as noted previously. Analysis of the characteristics of isolate GB6(T) and the type strain of [Pseudomonas] doudoroffii confirmed that these bacteria belonged to the same navel genus, which we have named Oceanomonas gen. nov. The type strain of Oceanomonas doudoroffii (Baumann et al. 1983) comb. nov. is ATCC 27123(T) (= DSM 7028(T)). The DNA-DNA homology between isolate GB6(T) and [Pseudomonas] doudoroffii is low and phenotypic differences between the two organisms are evident. Isolate GB6(T) (= ATCC 700832(T) = NCIMB 13685(T)) is therefore proposed as the type strain of a new species, Oceanomonas baumannii sp. nov.