Schwartzia succinivorans

Schwartzia'' is a monotypic genus of anaerobic, Gram-negative, non-spore-forming bacteria in the family Selenomonadaceae. Its only recognized species isSchwartzia succinivorans'', which occurs in the rumen of cattle and converts succinate to propionate.

Characteristics

Cells of S. succinivorans are curved rods that are motile by flagella arising from the concave side of the cell. The characterized strains were asaccharolytic and non-proteolytic and did not ferment amino acids or peptides. Succinate was the only substrate reported to be fermented and was converted quantitatively to propionate.

Taxonomy

Schwartzia succinivorans is the type species of the genus, and its type strain is S1-1^T (DSM 10502^T). Analysis of its 16S rRNA gene placed it near the genera Selenomonas, Zymophilus, and Pectinatus.

The generic name honours Helen M. Schwartz, a South African rumen physiologist. The specific epithet succinivorans means “succinic-acid-devouring”, referring to the organism's metabolism.