Taxonomy of Some Recently Described Species in the Family Enterobacteriaceae

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The taxonomic positions of several recently described species, Levinea malonatica, Levinea amalonatica, Citrobacter diversus, and Enterobacter agglomerans, were investigated by numerical analysis. A set of 141 strains, for which a total of 240 characters was recorded, was analyzed and also compared with representatives of a set of 384 strains of bacteria, examined in an earlier study, representing genera within the family Enterobacteriaceae. Three clusters of Citrobacter spp. were observed, Citrobacter freundii, Citrobacter spp., and Levinea amalonatica, with strains received as Citrobacter diversus and Levinea malonatica clustering with the Citrobacter spp. Citrobacter intermedius was concluded to be synonymous with C. freundii. L. malonatica, from the results of this study, was included in the species C. diversus. Hydrogen sulfide-positive strains of Escherichia coli were not judged to warrant separate species status. Klebsiella aerogenes, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Klebsiella oxytoca, and Klebsiella edwardsii were found to be highly related (similarity values > 90%). It is proposed that these species be merged into a single species, Klebsiella pneumoniae.