T h e a u t h o r s g i v e a f u l l d e s c r i p t i o n o f a n e w s p e c i e s a n d g e n u s t o b e i n c l u d e d i n t h e f a m i l y E n t e r o b a c t e r i a c e a e . T h e g e n e r i c n a m e E d w a r d s i e l l a ( E w i n g a n d M c W h o r t e r ) a n d t h e s p e c i e s n a m e E d w a r d s i e l l a t a r d a a r e s u g g e s t e d f o r u s e i n c o n n e c t i o n w i t h t h e b a ct e r i a d e s c r i b e d .The purpose of this paper is to provide a description of the biochemical reactions given by a group of cultures that have been collected and studied in these laboratories since e a r l y i n 1959, and to r e p o r t the r e s u l t s of p r e l i m i n a r y s e r ological investigations.A s e a r c h of the literature did not reveal a description of a microorganism that closely r esembled m e m b e r s of the new group, which i s r e f e r r e d to simply as "bacterium 1483-59,"The word "new" i s not used without reservation, since it seemed probable that the bacteria have been isolated in the past. F u r t h e r , we a r e informed by D r , R. Sakazaki, of the National Institute of Health, Tokyo, (personal communication, 1964) that he p r esented a paper entitled "The New Group of Enterobacteriaceae, the Asakusa Group" a t the 1962 meeting of the Japan Bacteriological Society and that a s u m m a r y of the presentation (Japanese text) was published (Sakazaki, 1962). Dr.Sakazaki v e r y kindly furnished the authors with a t r a n s lation of the above-mentioned a b s t r a c t . F r o m this it appeared that the majority of the cultures w e r e isolated f r o m snakes and that the s t r a i n s described were s i m i l a r to those reported herein, although t h e r e were a few differences in the biochemical reactions obtained (v. id.). Also King and Adler (1964)described the isolation of a culture of bacterium 1483-59, which they labe led the "Bartho Lomew group." Their

A description was given of a gram-negative, peritrichously flagellated, fermentative bacterium that was isolated on numerous occasions from kidney tissues of rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri) afflicted with redmouth disease. Although the bacteria apparently were members of the family Enterobacteriaceae, it was impossible to determine their taxonomic position within the family with certainty. Hence it was recommended that their taxonomic position remain sub judice for the present. As a temporary designation RM bacterium was used.Redmouth disease was transmitted from infected to normal fish through the medium of water.

Deoxyribonucleic acid reassociation was used to determine relatedness among protei and providenciae and between these organisms and other members of the family Entero bacteriaceae. Ewing described four biogroups in Prov. alcalifaciens and two biogroups in Prov. stuartii. These are based on the production of gas from glucose and the fermentation of adonitol and inositol (17; see Table 12).Several other taxonomic proposals for Proteus and Providencia have been reviewed by Rauss (38). The best known of these is Kauffmann's recommendation of four genera: Proteus, Morganella, Rettgerella, and Providencia (26). Kauffmann included Prot. mirabilis and Prot. vulgaris in the species Prot. hauseri. The fourgenus concept with Prot. hauseri was endorsed by Rauss (38)) and Coetzee (7) endorsed the four-genus system while retaining P. mira bizis and P. vulgaris. In a review (7), Coetzee documented serological differences in enzymes among protei. Therefore, there are antigenic, structural, and biochemical data that suggest genetic divergence among protei. With the exception of Prot. morganii (50 mol% guanine plus cytosine [G+C] in the deoxyribonucleic acid [DNA]), Proteus and Prouidencia species have substantially lower G+C ratios than other Entero bacteriaceae, whose DNA contains 50 to 58 mol% G+C. Prot. mirabilis and Prot. vulgaris contain 38 to 40 mol% G+C (19, 23, 29), Prot. rettgeri has 39 to 41.5 mol% G+C, and providenciae are reported to have 40 to 42 mol% G+C. 269

En tero bac t er agglo m erans (Beijerinck) comb. nov. (the Herbicola-Lathyri Bacteria)

Cultures of the redmouth (RM) bacterium, one of the etiological agents of redmouth disease in rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri) and certain other fishes, were characterized by means of their biochemical reactions, by deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) hybridization, and by determination of guanine-plus-cytosine (G+C) ratios in DNA. The DNA relatedness studies confirmed the fact that the RM bacteria are members of the family Enterobacteriaceae and that they comprise a single species that is not closely related to any other species of Enterobacteriaceae. They are about 30% related to species of both Serratia and Yersinia. A comparison of the biochemical reactions of RM bacteria and serratiae indicated that there are many differences between these organisms and that biochemically the RM bacteria are most closely related to yersiniae. The G+C ratios of RM bacteria were approximated to be between 47.5 and 48.5% These values are similar to those of yersiniae but markedly different from those of serratiae. On the basis of their biochemical reactions and their G+C ratios, the RM bacteria are considered to be a new species of Yersinia, for which the name Yersinia ruckeri is proposed. Strain 2396-61 (= ATCC 29473) is designated the type strain of the species.sues of rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri) afflicted with redmouth disease. It was concluded that the redmouth (RM) bacteria were members of the family Enterobacteriaceae, but at that time it was not possible to determine with certainty their taxonomic position within the family. In addition, Ross et al. (17) reported the results of serological studies with cultures of the RM bacterium as well as transmission of the disease from infected to normal fish through the medium of water.Redmouth disease syndrome in rainbow trout has been known for many years (18). The syndrome can be produced by certain aeromonads and pseudomonads, as well as by the bacterium reported on here (17, 18, 20). The disease is systemic, and its major gross characteristic is inflammation in the areas of the mouth and throat. It is also known as pink mouth and pink or red throat. Clinical and pathological aspects of the disease have been reviewed by others (e.g., see references 18 and 20). The disease is enzootic in some private, state, and federal hatcheries and has become epizootic on occasion. As an epizootic in hatcheries, the disease The purpose of this paper is to characterize the RM bacterium, to name and classify it properly, and to designate the type strain ofthe species. MATERIALS AND METHODSDuring the last 15 years, cultures of the RM bacterium (17) were isolated, by aseptic technique, from several hundred specimens of kidney tissue of rainbow and steelhead trout or sockeye and Chinook salmon. Most cultures were from rainbow trout. The 33 strains reported upon originated in fishes from hatcheries in Alaska, Arizona, California, Idaho, Ohio, Tennessee, and Washington (Table 1).The methods used for determining the biochemical characteristics of the above-mentioned strains were the same as those describ...