Chryseobacterium was formerly known by which genus name?

Chryseobacterium was formerly known by which genus name?

• A. Flavobacterium
• B. Pseudomonas
• C. Moraxella
• D. Alcaligenes

Answer: (A)

This question hinges on how bacterial names change with advances in taxonomy. Many yellow-pigmented, nonfermenting rods that we now place in Chryseobacterium were originally grouped in Flavobacterium because they looked similar on basic tests and shared the yellow pigment. As molecular methods (like 16S rRNA sequencing) and more detailed phenotypic analyses became available, these organisms were found to form a distinct lineage separate from Flavobacterium, so they were reclassified into the new genus Chryseobacterium. The name Chryseobacterium itself highlights the gold-yellow pigment typical of many species. An example is Chryseobacterium indologenes, which used to be Flavobacterium indologenes. Therefore, the former genus name is Flavobacterium.

This question hinges on how bacterial names change with advances in taxonomy. Many yellow-pigmented, nonfermenting rods that we now place in Chryseobacterium were originally grouped in Flavobacterium because they looked similar on basic tests and shared the yellow pigment. As molecular methods (like 16S rRNA sequencing) and more detailed phenotypic analyses became available, these organisms were found to form a distinct lineage separate from Flavobacterium, so they were reclassified into the new genus Chryseobacterium. The name Chryseobacterium itself highlights the gold-yellow pigment typical of many species. An example is Chryseobacterium indologenes, which used to be Flavobacterium indologenes. Therefore, the former genus name is Flavobacterium.