Floccifex

Floccifex is a genus of Gram-positive, strictly anaerobic bacteria belonging to the family Erysipelotrichaceae. It was first described in 2021 based on the isolation of its type species, Floccifex porci, from the feces of a pig in Germany.^[1]

Floccifex
Scientific classification
Domain:	Bacteria
Phylum:	Bacillota
Class:	Erysipelotrichia
Order:	Erysipelotrichales
Family:	Erysipelotrichaceae
Genus:	Floccifex Wylensek et al. 2021
Type species
Floccifex porci Wylensek et al. 2021

Taxonomy

The genus Floccifex was proposed as part of a large-scale culturomics and phylogenomic study of the pig gut microbiota. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences and genome comparisons placed it in the family Erysipelotrichaceae, distinct from other closely related genera.^[1]

Characteristics

Floccifex species are coccoid to rod-shaped, Gram-positive, and non-spore-forming. They grow under strictly anaerobic conditions and form flocculent aggregates in liquid culture, an attribute referenced in the genus name ("floccus" = flock, "fex" = maker).