ATTEMPTS TO CLASSIFY HERBICOLA GROUP-ENTEROBACTER-AGGLOMERANS STRAINS BY DEOXYRIBONUCLEIC-ACID HYBRIDIZATION AND PHENOTYPIC TESTS

There are 7 names on the Approved Lists of Bacterial Names that are treated as partial or total synonyms for strains belonging to the E. agglomerans-Herbicola group of Erwinia spp. complex. A total of 124 strains belonging to this complex, isolated mainly from plant and human sources, were studied by DNA relatedness and by a variety of biochemical tests. Ninety of these strains fell into 13 DNA hybridization groups (2-13 strains/group) and the remaining 34 strains did not fit into any hybridization group. Nine of the hybridization groups could be separated biochemically, whereas 4 hybridization groups could not. The results point out the inadequacy of the classification schemes presently used for these organisms, the inadequacy of the present nomenclature the extreme diversity of the strains presently classified in the E. agglomerans-Herbicola group of Erwina spp. complex and the need for additional, in-depth studies of these organisms.