Molecular identification of rRNA group 3 bacilli (Ash, Farrow, Wallbanks and Collins) using a PCR probe test

Abstract

Comparative 16S rRNA sequence analysis has demonstrated that the genusBacillus consists of at least five phyletic lines. rRNA group 3 bacilli of Ash, Farrow, Wallbanks and Collins (1991) comprisingBacillus polymyxa and close relatives is phylogenetically so removed fromBacillus subtilis, the type species of the genus and other aerobic, endospore-forming bacilli that they warrant reclassification in a new genusPaenibacillus. The genusPaenibacillus can be readily distinguished from otherBacillus groups using a battery of phenotypic characters and a highly specific gene probe based on 16S rRNA.