Nucleic acid hybridization studies on Microbacterium, Curtobacterium, Agromyces and related taxa

Thirty strains of Agromyces, Arthrobacter, Curtobacterium, Brevibacterium, Corynebacterium and Microbacterium, exhibiting the rare peptidoglycan of group B, were subjected to extensive nucleic acid hybridization studies. The DNA homology values indicate that Corynebacterium insidiosum DSM 20157 is genetically identical with Corynebacterium michiganense DSM 20134. Corynebacterium sepedonicum NCPPB 378 and Corynebacterium nebraskense DSM 20400 are closely related to Corynebacterium michiganense DSM 20134. Corynebacterium betae DSM 20141, Corynebacterium oortii ATCC 25283 and Corynebacterium poinsettiae ATCC 9682 are genetically identical with Corynebacterium flaccumfaciens DSM 20129. In addition, Curtobacterium citreum ATCC 15828, Curtobacterium luteum ATCC 15830 and Curtobacterium pusillum ATCC 19096 share a high degree of relatedness to Corynebacterium flaccumfaciens DSM 20129. All other described species are more distantly related to each other. DNa-rRNA cistron similarity studies reveal that all corynebacterium with a peptidoglycan group B are members of one homogeneous cluster for which the rank of a genus is suggested.