Paracoccus zeaxanthinifaciens sp. nov., a zeaxanthin-producing bacterium

1 Biotechnology Department, Research and Development, Roche Vitamins AG, CH-4070 Basel, Switzerland 2 BCCM TM /LMG Bacteria Collection, Laboratory for Microbiology, Ghent University, K.-L. Ledeganckstraat 35, 9000 Ghent, Belgium 3 TNO Nutrition and Food Research, PO Box 360, 3700 AJ Zeist, The Netherlands Correspondence Alan Berry alan.berry{at}roche.com A comprehensive taxonomic re-evaluation was performed on the marine, zeaxanthin-producing bacterium formerly classified as [ Flavobacterium ] sp. strain R-1512 (ATCC 21588). This strain, together with two other previously described marine isolates, [ Flavobacterium ] strain R-1506 and Paracoccus sp. strain MBIC 3966, were found to comprise a new species of the genus Paracoccus . The name Paracoccus zeaxanthinifaciens sp. nov. is proposed, with ATCC 21588 T (=R-1512 T =LMG 21293 T ) designated as the type strain. Published online ahead of print on 26 July 2002 as DOI 10.1099/ijs.0.02368-0. The GenBank accession numbers for the 16S rRNA gene sequences of ATCC 21588 T and R-1506 are AF461158 and AF461159 , respectively. Results of DNA fingerprinting (AFLP) analysis and the carotenoid production profile for all pigmented strains used in this work are available as supplementary data in IJSEM Online ( http://ijs.sgmjournals.org ). Present address: Natural Products Microbiology, Infectious Diseases Division, Wyeth-Ayerst Research, 401 N. Middletown Road, Pearl River, NY 10965, USA.