title: Numerical phenetic study of the genus Carnobacterium.
abstract: Eighty-nine strains representing the genus Carnobacterium, Enterococcus durans, Vagacoccus salmoninarum and atypical Lactobacillus strains MT12 and MT13 were examined for 92 unit characters. Computer analysis of the data resulted in the recovery of four major, five minor and thirteen single membered clusters. Three cluster-groups contained seventy-four of the Carnobacterium strains, Enterococcus durans NCFB 596T and Lactobacillus maltaromicus NCFB 2382T. Cluster-group A was equated with Carnobacterium piscicola and cluster-group B with Carnobacterium divergens. Lactobacillus maltaromicus NCFB 2382T shared many properties in common with the C. piscicola strains. The recovery of several Carnobacterium strains as single membered clusters suggests that the genus Carnobacterium is underspeciated. Further work is also required to determine the subspecific structure of Carnobacterium divergens and Carnobacterium piscicola.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biological Sciences, University of Wales, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion UK.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lai
authors.forename: L N
authors.initials: LN
authors.lastname: Manchester
mesh_terms: D015373:Bacterial Typing Techniques; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D016983:Enterococcus / Q000145:classification; D007777:Lactobacillaceae / Q000145:classification*; D007778:Lactobacillus / Q000145:classification; D010641:Phenotype