Phylogenetic insights into the diversity of Chryseobacterium species

The genusChryseobacteriumwas formally established in 1994 and contains 112 species with validly published names. Most of these species are yellow or orange coloured, and contain a flexirubin-type pigment. The genomes of 83 of these 112 species have been sequenced in view of their importance in clinical microbiology and potential applications in biotechnology. The National Center for Biotechnology Information taxonomy browser lists 1415 strains as members of the genusChryseobacterium , of which the genomes of 94 strains have been sequenced. In this study, by comparing the 16S rDNA and the deduced proteome sequences, at least 20 of these strains have been proposed to represent novel species of the genusChryseobacterium . Furthermore, a yellow-coloured bacterium isolated from dry soil in the USA (and identified asFlavobacteriumsp. strain B-14859) has also been reconciled as a novel member of the genusChryseobacteriumbased on the analysis of 16S rDNA sequences and the presence of flexirubin. Yet another bacterium (isolated from a water sample collected in the Western Ghats of India and identified asChryseobacteriumsp. strain WG4) was also found to represent a novel species. These proposals need to be validated using polyphasic taxonomic approaches.