A Phylogenetic Analysis of Staphylococci, Peptococcus saccharolyticus and Micrococcus mucilaginosus

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Abstract
The intra- and intergeneric relationships of the genus Staphylococcus and the phylogenetic position of P. saccharolyticus and M. mucilaginosus (S. salivarius) were investigated by comparative oligonucleotide cataloguing of 16S rRNA. All the staphylococci investigated form a phylogenetically coherent group at the genus level that, in addition, contains the anaerobic species P. saccharolyticus. The genus Staphylococcus belongs to the broad Bacillus-Lactobacillus-Streptococcus cluster that is defined by gram-positive bacteria with a low DNA G + C content. M. mucilaginosus is not a genuine member of the genus Micrococcus. The binary matching coefficients between the 16S rRNA of M. mucilaginosus and those of representatives of the Arthrobacter/Micrococcus group and related genera indicate that M. mucilaginosus should be regarded as a member of a new genus.