Biological and Chemical Basis for the Reclassification of Microbacterium flavum Orla-Jensen as Corynebacterium flavescens nom. nov

On the basis of its biological properties (cell morphology, staining reactions, cellular inclusions, guanine plus cytosine content of deoxyribonucleic acid, degree of deoxyribonucleic acid homology with Corynebacterium diphtheriae strain PW8, and pattern of enzymic capacities) and chemical structures (peptidoglycan type, major cell wall polysaccharide, major phospholipids and glycolipid, as well as characteristic cell wall fatty acids), Microbacterium flavum Orla-Jensen (synonym: Mycobacterium flavum Jensen) is renamed Corynebacterium flavescens nom. nov. The specific epithet “flavum” has been changed to “flavescens” in order to avoid the creation of a later homonym of Corynebacterium flavum Kisskalt and Berend 1918. Strain 8 of Orla-Jensen (= ATCC 10340 = NCIB 8707) is herein designated the type strain of C. flavescens. An updated description of the organism is given.