Sphingomonas

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Sphingomonas
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Bacteria Phylum: Proteobacteria Class: Alpha Proteobacteria Order: Sphingomonadales Family: Sphingomonadaceae Genus: Sphingomonas
Species
Sphingomonas adhaesiva Sphingomonas aerolata Sphingomonas aquatilis Sphingomonas asaccharolytica Sphingomonas aurantiaca Sphingomonas baekryungensis Sphingomonas chungbukensis Sphingomonas cloacae Sphingomonas echinoides Sphingomonas elodea Sphingomonas faeni Sphingomonas koreensis Sphingomonas mali Sphingomonas melonis Sphingomonas oligophenolica Sphingomonas parapaucimobilis Sphingomonas paucimobilis Sphingomonas phyllosphaerae Sphingomonas pituitosa Sphingomonas pruni Sphingomonas roseiflava Sphingomonas sanguinis Sphingomonas suberifaciens Sphingomonas taejonensis Sphingomonas trueperi Sphingomonas ursincola Sphingomonas wittichii Sphingomonas xenophaga Sphingomonas yabuuchiae

Sphingomonas was defined in 1990 as a group of Gram-negative, rod-shaped, chemoheterotrophic, strictly aerobic bacteria. They possess ubiquinone 10 as their major respiratory quinone, contain glycosphingolipids (GSLs) instead of lipopolysaccharide in their cell envelopes, and typically produce yellow-pigmented colonies.

By 2001, the genus included more than 20 species that were quite diverse in terms of their phylogenetic, ecological, and physiological properties. As a result, the Sphingomonas were subdivided into four genera: Sphingomonas, Sphingobium, Novosphingobium and Sphingopyxis.

These genera are commonly referred to collectively as "sphingomonads" . The sphingomonads are widely distributed in nature, having been isolated from many different land and water habitats, as well as from plant root systems, clinical specimens, and other sources.

Some of the sphingomonads (especially Sphingomonas paucimobilis) also play a role in human disease, primarily by causing a range of mostly nosocomial, non-life-threatening infections that typically are easily treated by antibiotic therapy. Due to their biodegradative and biosynthetic capabilities, sphingomonads have been utilised for a wide range of biotechnological applications, from bioremediation of environmental contaminants to production of extracellular polymers such as sphingans (eg. gellan, welan, and rhamsan) used extensively in the food and other industries^{[citation needed]}. One strain, Sphingomonas sp. 2MPII, can degrade 2-methylphenanthrene^[1]

In May 2008, Daniel Burd, a 16 year old Canadian, won the Canada-Wide Science Fair in Ottawa after discovering that Sphingomonas can degrade over 40% of the weight of plastic bags (Polyethylene) in less than three months. ^[2]

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