Aurantimonadaceae

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Aurantimonadaceae
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Bacteria Phylum: Proteobacteria Class: Alpha Proteobacteria Order: Rhizobiales Family: Aurantimonadaceae
Species
Aurantimonas coralicida Fulvimarina pelagi

The Aurantimonadaceae are a small family of marine bacteria. There are two known species. Aurantimonas coralicida causes a white plague in corals, progressively destroying their tissues and leaving an expanding area that appears bleached. It has been epidemic in the Caribbean. The individual bacteria are rod-shaped, with polar flagella, and adhere to form branching chains. Fulvimarina pelagi was isolated from seawater, and takes the form of non-motile rods.

Both species are obligate aerobes, and obtain their nourishment chemoheterotrophically. They test positive for oxidase and catalase, and contain carotenoid pigments, possibly to protect against solar radiation.

[edit] References

• Denner et al. (2003). Aurantimonas coralicida gen. nov., sp. nov., the causative agent of white plague type II on Caribbean scleractinian corals. International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology 53: 1115-1122.
• Cho and Giovannoni. (2003). Fulvimarina pelagi gen. nov., sp. nov., a marine bacterium that forms a deep evolutionary lineage of descent in the order 'Rhizobiales'. International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology 53: 1853-1859.