Polaromonas vacuolata

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Higher Order Taxa

Bacteria; Proteobacteria; Betaproteobacteria; Burkholderiales; Comamonadaceae; Polaromonas

Description and Significance

Palmer Station, where the organism was first found, is located on the south end of Anvers Island

Genome

Cell Structure and Metabolism

A micrograph of the organism, note the gas vacuoles at the top

The bacteria which were studied were short, unicellular, gram-negative rods(0.8 by 2 to 3 pm) that typically produced gas vacuoles which appeared as bright refractile areas within the cells. [1] While the cells were non-motile when cultured, the appearance of flagella suggests that they are capable of self-propulsion.

Ecology

Related Bacterial Species

In 2004 another organism was proposed for the genus Polaromonas, Polaramonas Napthalenivorans CJ2, which is an aquatic gram-negative, non-spore formin, non-motile coccus. It is capable of growth with naphthalene as its sole carbon and energy source.[3]

The two most closely related species when the organism was first discovered its two closest relatives were Rhodoferax fermentans, a nonsulfur purple bacterium, and V. paradoxus, a chemoorganotroph and facultative lithoautotroph.[1]

Pathology

At this time, there are no diseases related to this organism have been observed.