COMPARATIVE STUDY ON PEDIOCOCCUS HALOPHILUS, P. SOYAE, P. HOMARI, P. URINAE-EQUI AND RELATED SPECIES

Abstract

A comparative study was made on three salt-tolerant, dextro-rotatory lactic acid-forming pediococci, Pediococcus halophilus, P. soyae, and P. homari, and related species, P. urinae-equi and Aerococcus viridans, with reference to P. pentosaceus and P. acidilactici. The former three species were sufficiently similar in their morphological, physiological, and nutritional characteristics, and DNA T_m value to place them into a single species. P. urinaeequi is almost similar to them, especially nutritionally, but differed from them only on the point of salt sensitivity. It was proposed that their boundary be the growth on 12% salted medium. A. viridans has characters much similar to P. urinae-equi to be classified within the species, although its preference for aerobic conditions and other non-fermentative characters suggest its relation with Staphylococcus-Micrococcus group. The usefulness of nutritional requirement for the classification of this genus was discussed.