[Taxonomy of fluorescent streptomyces based on a comparative population analysis].

A revision of the taxonomy for the fluorescent subgroup of streptomycetes has confirmed experimentally that it is expedient to use the comparative population-taxonomic analysis as a new approach to the taxonomy of actinomycetes, which makes it possible to establish relationships between cultures being compared. It has been shown that the species Streptomyces galbofluorescens and S. fluorescens are merely spontaneous variants in the composition of the parent population of S. chrysomallus and therefore bear no taxonomic and nomenclature status. Consequently, the fluorescent subgroup consists of two (rather than the earlier described four) species: S. chrysomallus and S. citreofluorescens. The names S. galbofluorescens and S. fluorescens should be regarded as synonyms of the name S. chrysomallus. The culture of S. chrysomallus was found to contain a water-soluble antibacterial antibiotic. Three monosynthetic variants were isolated from the population of S. chrysomallus.