Delineation of the species Haemophilus influenzae by phenotype, multilocus sequence phylogeny, and detection of marker genes.

ABSTRACT: To obtain more information on the much-debated definition of prokaryotic species, we investigated the borders of Haemophilus influenzae by comparative analysis of H. influenzae reference strains with closely related bacteria including strains assigned to Haemophilus haemolyticus, cryptic genospecies biotype IV, and the never formally validated species "Haemophilus intermedius". Multilocus sequence phylogeny based on six housekeeping genes separated a cluster encompassing the type and the reference strains of H. influenzae from 31 more distantly related strains. Comparison of 16S rRNA gene sequences supported this delineation but was obscured by a conspicuously high number of polymorphic sites in many of the strains that did not belong to the core group of H. influenzae strains. The divisio

SUBMITTER: Norskov-Lauritsen N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2632096 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature