Four closely related species, Vibrio fischeri, Vibrio logei, Vibrio salmonicida and Vibrio wodanis, form a clade within the family Vibrionaceae; the taxonomic status and phylogenetic position of this clade have remained ambiguous for many years. To resolve this ambiguity, we tested these species against other species of the Vibrionaceae for phylogenetic and phenotypic differences. Sequence identities for the 16S rRNA gene were ≥97.4 % among members of the V. fischeri group, but were ≤95.5 % for members of this group in comparison with type species of other genera of the Vibrionaceae (i.e. Photobacterium and Vibrio, with which they overlap in G+C content, and Enterovibrio, Grimontia and Salinivibrio, with which they do not overlap in G+C content). Combined analysis of the recA, rpoA, pyrH, gyrB and 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that the species of the V. fischeri group form a tightly clustered clade, distinct from these other genera. Furthermore, phenotypic traits differentiated the V. fischeri group from other genera of the Vibrionaceae, and a panel of 13 biochemical tests discriminated members of the V. fischeri group from type strains of Photobacterium and Vibrio. These results indicate that the four species of the V. fischeri group represent a lineage within the Vibrionaceae that is distinct from other genera. We therefore propose their reclassification in a new genus, Aliivibrio gen. nov. Aliivibrio is composed of four species: Aliivibrio fischeri comb. nov. (the type species) (type strain ATCC 7744T =CAIM 329T =CCUG 13450T =CIP 103206T =DSM 507T =LMG 4414T =NCIMB 1281T), Aliivibrio logei comb. nov. (type strain ATCC 29985T =CCUG 20283T =CIP 104991T =NCIMB 2252T), Aliivibrio salmonicida comb. nov. (type strain ATCC 43839T =CIP 103166T =LMG 14010T =NCIMB 2262T) and Aliivibrio wodanis comb. nov. (type strain ATCC BAA-104T =NCIMB 13582T =LMG 24053T).
Characterization of the DNA- and Metal-Binding Properties of Vibrio anguillarum Fur Reveals Conservation of a Structural Zn2+ Ion