PSEUDOMONAS-SYZYGII, SP-NOV, THE CAUSE OF SUMATRA DISEASE OF CLOVES

Forty-six strains of a xylem-limited bacterium isolated from clove trees (Syzygium aromaticum) with Sumatra disease in Indonesia were found to constitute a sufficiently distinct and homogeneous group to warrant their designation as a distinct species. The name Pseudomonas syzygii sp. nov. is proposed. The organism is an aerobic, nonmotile, nonsporeforming Gram-negative rod which grows poorly or not at all on many common bacteriological media. The optimum temperature for growth is around 28 °C and all strains are oxidase and catalase positive, grow at pH 6.0 to 7.5, utilise fumarate, DL-malate, pyruvate and succinate, and do not grow at 37°C. The DNA composition is 66–67 mol% guanine plus cytosine. DNA hybridisation studies showed that the species was most closely related to Pseudomonas solanacearum, and this relationship was supported by fatty acid profiles. Strains could be differentiated into at least two groups on the basis of biochemical characters and fatty acid profiles. Strain R001 (NCPPB 3446) is designated as the type strain. © 1990, Gustav Fischer Verlag, Stuttgart · New York. All rights reserved.