FAMILY IV. PSEUDOMONADACEAE WINSLOW ET AL., 1917.

(Winslow, Broadhurst, Buchanan, Krumwiede, Rogers and Smith, Jour. Bact., 2, 1917, 555.)
Pseu.do.mo.na.da'ce.ae. M.L. fem.n. Pseudomonas tj'pe genus of the family; -aceae ending to denote a
family; M.L. fern. pi. n. Pseudomonadaceae the Pseudomonas family. Cells elongate, straight rods,
occasionally coccoid. Motile by means of polar flagella which are either single or in small or large tufts. A
few species are non-motile. Gram-negative. May possess either water-soluble pigments that diffuse
through the medium or nonwater-soluble pigments. Usually grow well and fairly rapidly on the surface
of culture media. Aerobic. Frequently oxidative in their physiology but may be fermentative. Usually
found in soil or water, including sea water or even heavy brines. Many plant and a few

animal pathogens.

Key to the genera of family Pseudomonadaceae.

I. Attack glucose and other sugars either oxidatively or fermentatively. A. Genera in which the species
are either known or are thought to attack glucose oxi

datively. 1. Bacteria which do not produce readily detectable acetic acid though they may oxidize
ethanol. May produce a water-soluble pigment which diffuses through the medium, a. Cultures may or
maj' not produce a water-soluble pigment which is bluish, greenish or brownish in color. Rose, lilac- and
yellow-colored, diffusible pig

ments occasionally occur.

FAMILY IV. PSEUDOMONADACEAE »«

Genus I. Pseudomonas, p. 89. aa. Cultures develop a yellow, non-water-soluble pigment. Cells normally
monotrichous. Mostlj^ plant pathogens which cause a necrosis. Genus II. Xanthomonas, p. 152. 2.
Bacteria which produce readily detectable amounts of acetic acid bj- the oxidation of ethanol. The
vinegar bacteria. Genus III. Acetobacter, p. 183. B. Genera in which the species ferment glucose, usually
with the production of H2 and CO2. 1. Cells carry out a fermentation like that of the coliform bacteria.
Usually produce acid and gas from glucose. a. Cells not known to fix free atmospheric nitrogen. b. Water
organisms. Common species cause diseases of fishes. Also found in leeches. Not luminescent. Genus IV.
Aeromo?ias, p. 189. bb. Luminescent bacteria commonly found on dead fishes and Crustacea on

salt-water beaches.

Genus V. Photobacterium , p. 193.

aa. Cells fix free atmospheric nitrogen. Genus VI. Azotomonas, p. 198.

2. Cells carry out an alcoholic fermentation similar to that of yeasts. Genus VII. Zymomonas, p. 199. II.
Do not attack carbohydrates or, if so, produce only slight amounts of acid from glucose and similar
sugars. Includes certain species which require at least 12 per cent salt

for growth. A. Do not require salt in excess of 12 per cent for growth. 1. Cells not embedded in a
gelatinous matrix.

a. Cells rod-shaped. b. Soil and water bacteria that are known to dissimilate alkylamines. Genus VIII.
Protaminobacter , p. 200. bb. Soil and water bacteria that are known to dissimilate alginic acid. Genus IX.
Alginovwnas , p. 202. aa. Soil bacteria that are known to utilize phenol and similar aromatic compounds.
Cells may be branched. Genus X. Mycoplana, p. 204. 2. Cells embedded in a gelatinous matrix; this
matrix may be of a branching form. Genus XI. Zoogloea, p. 206. B. Requires at least 12 per cent salt
before growth will take place. Genus XII. Halobacterium, p. 207.

Genus I. Pseudomonas Migula, 1894*

{Chlorobacterium Guillebeauf, Landw. Jahrb. d. Schweiz, 4, 1890, 32; Migula,

Arb. bakt. Inst. Karlsruhe, 1, 1894, 237.)

Pseu.do'mo.nas or Pseu.do.mo'nasJ. Gr. pseudes false; Gr. monas a unit, monad; M.L. fem.n.
Pseudomonas false monad. Cells monotrichous, lophotrichous or non-motile. Gram-negative. Frequently
develop fluorescent, diffusible pigments of a greenish, bluish, violet, lilac, rose, yellow or other color.
Sometimes the pigments are bright red or yellow and non-diffusible; there are many species that fail to
develop any pigmentation. The majority of species oxidize glucose to

gluconic acid, 2-ketogluconic acid or other intermediates. Usually inactive in the o.xidation of lactose.
Nitrates are frequently reduced either to nitrites, ammonia or to free nitrogen. Some species split fat
and/or attack hydrocarbons. Many species are found in soil and water, including sea water or even
heavy brines. Many are plant pathogens; verj^ few are

animal pathogens. The borderline between the straight rods found in Pseudomonas and the curved rods
found in Vibrio is not sharp : occasionally curved rods ma.y occur in species that normally are composed
of straight rods, this variation sometimes being dependent upon the medium used. Recently, however,
Shewan, Hodgkiss and Liston (Nature, 173, 1954, 208) have described a method employing antibiotics
and a vibriostatic agent whereby a sharper differentiation between pseudomonads and vibrios may
possibly be effected. Future studies of this nature may show that some of the species in the genus
Pseudomonas should be transferred to the genus Vibrio, and vice versa. The type species is
Pseudomonas aeruginosa (Schroeter) Migula.

* Completely revised by Dr. Wm. C. Haynes, Northern Utilization Research Branch, U.S.D.A., Peoria,
Illinois (Species Nos. 1-58) and by Prof. Walter H. Burkholder, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
(Species Nos. 59-149), September, 1953. t See Footnote, p. 65. Also see Internat. Bull. Bact. Nomen. and
Tax., 2, 1952, 121, foi a proposal to conserve Pseudomonas Migula. t The former accords with the Latin
rules of accentuation; the latter is commonly used.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa (Schroeter, 1872) Migula, 1900. {Bacterium aeruginosum Schroeter, in Cohn,
Beitrage z. Biologic, 1, Heft 2, 1872, 126; Bacillus pyocyaneus Gessard, Compt. rend. Acad. Sci., Paris, 94,
1882, 536; Pseudomonas pyocyanea Migula, in Engler and PrantI, Die natiirl.

Pflanzenfam., 1, la, 1895, 29; Migula, Syst.

d. Bakt., 2, 1900, 884.)

ae.ru. gi.no'sa. L. adj. aeruginosus full of

copper rust or verdigris, hence green. Common name: Blue pus organism.

Rods, 0.5 to 0.6 b}' 1.5 microns, occurring singly, in pairs and short chains. Motile,
possessing one to three polar flagella.

(Monotrichous according to Reid, Naghski,

Farrell and Haley, Penn. Agr. E.xp. Sta.,

Bull. 422, 1942, 6.) Gram-negative.

Gelatin colonies: Yellowish or greenish

yellow, fringed, irregular, skein-like, granu

lar, rapidly liquefying. Gelatin stab: Rapid liquefaction. The

fluid assumes a yellowish green or bluish

green color. Agar colonies: Large, spreading, grayish with dark center and tran.slucent edge, irregular.
Medium greenish. Agar slant: Abundant, thin, white, glistening, the medium turning green to dark
brown or black, fluorescent. Broth: Marked turbidity with thick pellicle and heavy sediment. Medium
yellowish

green to blue, with fluorescence, later

brownish. Often produces pyocyanine, fluo

rescein and pyrorubrin (Meader, Robinson and Leonard, Am. Jour. Hyg., 5, 1925, 682). Litmus milk: A
soft coagulum is formed, with rapid peptonization and reduction of

litmus. Reaction alkaline. Potato: Luxuriant, dirty brown, the medium becoming dark green.

Indole usually not produced (Sandiford, Jour. Path, and Pact., U, 1937, 567). Nitrates reduced to nitrites
and nitrogen.

Glucose, fructose, galactose, arabinose,

maltose, lactose, sucrose, dextrin, inulin,

glycerol, mannitol and dulcitol are not fer

mented. Glucose oxidized to gluconic acid,

2-ketogluconic acid and other intermediates (Lockwood, Tabenkin and Ward, Jour. Bact., 42, 1941, 51;
Hajmes, Jour. Gen.

Microbiol., 5, 1951,939). Blood serum: Liquefied. Yellow liquid,

greenish on surface. Blood hemolyzed. Cultures have marked odor of trimethyl

amine.

Aerobic, facultative. Optimum temperature, 37° C. Good growth at 42° C.

Pathogenic for rabbits, guinea pigs, rats and mice. Distinctive characters: Some strains pro

duce p.yocyanine, a phenazine derivative which is extractable from alkaline media

with chloroform as a deep blue pigment. Upon addition of acid, the color is transformed to red and
becomes insoluble in chloroform. The ability to grow well at 42° C, to oxidize gluconic acid to 2-keto

gluconic acid and to produce a slime in

potassium gluconate media permits identifi

cation even though pyocyanine is not

formed (Haynes, loc. cit.). Source: Pus from wounds. Regarded as

identical with one of the plant pathogens (Pseudomonas polycolor) by Elrod and Braun

(Jour. Bact., U, 1942, 633). Habitat: Cause of various human and animal lesions. Found in polluted water
and sewage.