A Polyphasic Reassessment of the Genus Aneurinibacillus, Reclassification of Bacillus thermoaerophilus (Meier-Stauffer et al. 1996) as Aneurinibacillus thermoaerophilus comb, nov., and Emended Descriptions of A. aneurinilyticus corrig., A. migulanus, and A. thermoaerophilus

1 Laboratorium voor Microbiologie, Universiteit Gent, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium 2 Department of Biological Sciences, Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow G4 OBA, United Kingdom 3 Department of Pathology and Microbiology, School of Medical Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TD, United Kingdom * Corresponding author. Mailing address: Laboratorium voor Microbiologie, Vakgroep BFM WE10V, Universiteit Gent, K. L. Ledeganckstraat 35, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium. Phone: 32 (0)9 264 5110. Fax: 32(0)9 264 5346 E-mail: Paul.Devos{at}rug.ac.be . ABSTRACT Fifty-three strains representing 25 species of aerobic endospore-forming bacteria, of which 11 (37 strains) belong to the genera Aneurinibacillus and Brevibacillus ( Bacillus rRNA group 4 of Ash et al. [Lett. Appl. Microbiol. 13:202–206, 1991]), were characterized genotypically by amplified ribosomal DNA restriction analysis (ARDRA) and/or phenotypically by fatty acid methyl ester analysis, sodium dodecylsulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of whole-cell proteins, pyrolysis mass spectrometry, 99 API Biotype 100 assimilation tests, and 16 other routine phenotypic tests. ARDRA revealed that Aneurinibacillus aneurinilyticus, Aneurinibacillus migulanus , and Bacillus thermoaerophilus formed a cluster quite separate from Brevibacillus species, supporting the distinction of both genera and the transfer of B. thermoaerophilus to the genus Aneurinibacillus . Two of the species, A. aneurinilyticus (the type species) and A. migulanus , are phenotypically and genotypically quite similar but can be distinguished from each other by several phenotypic characters. Phenotypic differentiation at the generic level is also described.