Clostridium nitritogenes

Clostridium nitritogenes is a species of obligately anaerobic, Gram-positive bacterium in the genus Clostridium. It was originally described as Eubacterium nitritogenes by Prévot in 1940 and was later reclassified as Clostridium nitritogenes in 2018 based on 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity and phenotypic characteristics consistent with the emended definition of the genus Clostridium.

Clostridium nitritogenes
Scientific classification
Domain:	Bacteria
Kingdom:	Bacillati
Phylum:	Bacillota
Class:	Clostridia
Order:	Eubacteriales
Family:	Clostridiaceae
Genus:	Clostridium
Species:	C. nitritogenes
Binomial name
Clostridium nitritogenes (Prévot 1940) Bernard et al. 2018

Taxonomy

Clostridium nitritogenes was formerly placed within the genus Eubacterium as Eubacterium nitritogenes. Based on 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis showing only 82–85% similarity to the type species of Eubacterium (Eubacterium limosum), and over 98% similarity with Clostridium cluster I species, it was reassigned to the genus Clostridium as a new combination (comb. nov.) by Bernard et al. in 2018.^[1]

Morphology and physiology

Cells of C. nitritogenes are straight rods, 0.8–1.6 μm wide and 1.6–16.0 μm long, occurring singly or in short chains and occasionally forming palisades.

Ecology and isolation

The bacterium has been isolated from both soil and human infections, though it is not commonly encountered in routine clinical diagnostics.^[1]

Type strain

• ATCC 25547^T = DSM 3985^T = JCM 6485^T