A detailed phenotypic and genotypic description of Pseudomonas strain OX1.

Strain OX1 exhibits important physiological, ecological, and biotechnological properties in the degradation of chemical pollutants. It was previously classified as a member of Pseudomonas stutzeri based on its phenotypic characteristics. The present taxonomic study describes phenotypic and genomic properties of strain OX1 and illustrates the value both of multigenic sequence analysis and siderotyping methods to justify its species circumscription within the genus Pseudomonas. We have concluded that strain OX1 is a member of the Pseudomonas corrugata group, distantly related to P. stutzeri, and should be considered representative of a new species. However, phenotypic differentiation between species in this group remains difficult, and species proposals based on only a single strain must be cautious. We, therefore, prefer not to propose a new species until more strains with the same genomic and phenotypic properties as strain OX1 have been isolated.