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Title: LACTOBACILLUS ARIZONENSIS IS A LATER HETEROTYPIC SYNONYM OF LACTOBACILLUS PLANTARUM

Author
item KOSTINEK, MELANIE - KARLSRUHE, GERMANY
item PUKALL, RUDIGER - DSMZ, GERMANY
item Rooney, Alejandro - Alex
item SCHILLINGER, ULRICH - KARLSRUHE, GERMANY
item HERTEL, CHRISTIAN - HOHENHEIM UNIV, GERMANY
item HOLZAPFEL, WILHELM - KARLSRUHE, GERMANY
item FRANZ, CHARLES - KARLSRUHE, GERMANY

Submitted to: International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/29/2005
Publication Date: 11/1/2005
Citation: Kostinek, M., Pukall, R., Rooney, A.P., Schillinger, U., Hertel, C., Holzapfel, W.H., Franz, C.M. 2005. Lactobacillus arizonensis is a later heterotypic synonym of Lactobacillus plantarum. International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology. 55(Pt 6):2485-2489.

Interpretive Summary: This paper describes the results of a study on Lactobacillus arizonensis, a species of lactic acid bacteria that is important in a variety of industrial fermentations. The study revealed that L. arizonensis is not a valid species but instead is a unique strain of L. plantarum, which is important information for researchers working specifically with these species as well as with other lactic acid bacteria species. In addition, we show that classifications based on frequency differences of phenotypic characteristics are not reliable, which is important information for researchers engaged in identifying agriculturally important microorganisms. The results of this study will aid scientists attempting to identify newly discovered lactic acid bacteria of agricultural, biomedical and industrial significance.

Technical Abstract: The ‘Lactobacillus plantarum-group’ encompasses the taxa L. plantarum subsp. plantarum, L. plantarum subsp. argentoratensis, L. paraplantarum, L. pentosus and L. arizonensis. In this study, the phylogenetic position of L. arizonensis was examined using 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene-specific methodologies (16S rDNA sequencing, ribotyping) and genomic DNA based investigations (rep-PCR and DNA-DNA hybridization). Our results show that the L. arizonensis type strain could not be distinguished from the type strain of L. plantarum nor from various L. plantarum reference strains based on the results generated from any of the above approaches. Therefore, it is proposed that the species L. arizonensis should be reclassified as L. plantarum.