Tatumella-Ptyseos Gen-Nov, Sp-Nov, A Member Of The Family Enterobacteriaceae Found In Clinical Specimens

acid relatedness studies on26T.ptyseos strains showedthattheywere80to100% related at60°C, whichindicated thattheycomprise asingle species. Thedeoxy- ribonucleic acidrelatedness toother species within theEnterobacteriaceae was 7to38%.Thisisevidence that this species belongs inthis family, isdistinct from alldescribed species, andisbestplaced inanewgenus. TheT.ptyseos isolates studied weresusceptible toall oftheantimicrobial agents tested bybroth dilution; these antimicrobial agents wereamikacin, ampicillin, cephalothin, chloramphen- icol, gentamicin, kanamycin, tetracycline, andtobramycin. Threestriking differ- ences between T.ptyseos andother membersoftheEnterobacteriaceae wereits large zoneofinhibition around penicillin (meandiameter 24mm),itstendency to dieonsomelaboratory media(such asblood agar) within 7days, anditssmall number(usually one)offlagella. Strain H36(=ATCC33301, =CDC D6168, =CDC9591-78) isthetypestrain ofthis newspecies. T.ptyseos isthetypespecies forthegenusTatumella. During thepast14years theSpecial Bacteri- ology Section andtheEnteric Section, Bacteri- ologyDivision, Centers forDisease Control (CDC), havereceived foridentification 56cul- turesofgram-negative, oxidase-negative, fer-