A Comparative Study of Pseudomonas pseudomallei and Bacillus mallei

Abstract

A comparative study of many strains of P. pseudomallei and B. mallei has shown that these two species are very similar with respect to their nutritional and biochemical properties, thus confirming earlier claims of a relationship between them, based on such criteria as pathological and serological properties. P. pseudomallei is in all respects a typical and nutritionally highly versatile member of the genus Pseudomonas. In view of this fact we propose that B. mallei should also be placed in the genus Pseudomonas, even though it is a permanently non-motile bacterium. The ecology and possible evolutionary relationships between the two species are discussed in the light of the present findings.