ABIS Encyclopedia

Citricoccus muralis

Taxonomy

Morphology

Cultural characteristics

Biochemical characters

Ecology

Pathogenicity

References

Phylum Actinomycetota, Class Actinomycetes, Order Micrococcales, Family Micrococcaceae, Genus Citricoccus, Citricoccus muralis
Altenburger et al. 2002, type species of the genus.

Gram-positive cocci, 1 µm in diameter, occurring singly, in short chains or in clusters.
Non-motile. Non-sporeforming.

Colonies are yellow-pigmented, circular, convex, opaque and reach 3 mm in diameter
after 2 weeks incubation. Good growth occurs at room temperature and at 28 ºC.
Moderate growth occurs at 4 ºC and no growth is seen at 37 ºC (admin note: can grow
at 36 ºC). Good growth occurs at NaCl concentrations up to 7% (w}v), weak growth at
10% (w}v) and no growth at 15% (w/v). Growth is observed at initial pH values
between 6 and 10. Aerobic.

Isolated from a medieval wall painting. Resistant to rifampicin and streptomycin.
Susceptible to novobiocin (admin note - unpublished data). Also isolated from
Mycoplasma agalactiae medium as contaminant (admin note).

Undetermined.

Altenburger P., Kampfer P., Schumann P., Steiner R., Lubitz W. and Busse H.J.: Citricoccus muralis gen. nov., sp. nov., a novel
actinobacterium isolated from a medieval wall painting. Int. J. Syst. Evol. Microbiol., 2002, 52, 2095-2100.
Li W.J., Chen H.H., Zhang Y.Q., Kim C.J., Park D.J., Lee J.C., Xu L.H. and Jiang C.L.: Citricoccus alkalitolerans sp. nov., a novel
actinobacterium isolated from a desert soil in Egypt. Int. J. Syst. Evol. Microbiol., 2005, 55, 87-90.
Meng F.X., Yang X.C., Yu P.S., Pan J.M., Wang C.S., Xu X.W. and Wu M.: Citricoccus zhacaiensis sp. nov., isolated from a bioreactor
for saline wastewater treatment. Int. J. Syst. Evol. Microbiol., 2010, 60, 495-499.
Yassin AF, Hupfer H, Siering C, Klenk HP, Schumann P. Auritidibacter ignavus gen. nov., sp. nov., of the family Micrococcaceae
isolated from an ear swab of a man with otitis externa, transfer of the members of the family Yaniellaceae Li et al. 2008 to the
family Micrococcaceae and emended description of the suborder Micrococcineae. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2011; 61:223-230.

Positive results for catalase, gelatin liquefaction, methyl red, lysine decarboxylase,
alpha-maltosidase and urease (negative in Li’s paper). Acid production was not
observed.
Can assimilate gluconate, D-glucose, D-maltose, D-mannose, D-sucrose, D-
trehalose, acetate, propionate, cisaconitate, fumarate, glutarate, DL-3-hydroxybutyrate,
DL-lactate, L-malate, oxoglutarate, pyruvate, L-aspartate, L-leucine, L-phenylalanine,
L-proline, L-serine, 3-hydroxybenzoate, 4-hydroxybenzoate and phenylacetate.

Negative results for acetoin production, arginine dihydrolase, casein hydrolysis,
esculin hydrolysis, beta-glucuronidase, alpha- and beta-galactosidase, N-acetyl-beta-
glucosaminidase and beta-glucosidase H2S production, indole production, nitrate
reduction, ornithine decarboxylase, oxidase, starch hydrolysis, Tweens 20 and 80
hydrolysis.
No acid production from glucose, sucrose, salicin, inositol, rhamnose, trehalose,
cellobiose or D- mannose.
No assimilation of N-acetyl D-galactosamine, N-acetyl D-glucosamine, L-arabinose,
arbutin, D-cellobiose, D-fructose, D-galactose, alpha-D-melibiose, L-rhamnose, D-
ribose, salicin, D-xylose, adonitol, glycerol, i-inositol, maltitol, D-mannitol, melibiose,
D-sorbitol, putrescine, trans-aconitate, adipate, 4-aminobutyrate, azelate, citrate,
itaconate, mesaconate, suberate, L-alanine, beta-alanine, L-histidine, L-ornithine and
L- tryptophan.

Unpublished data: positive for alkaline phosphatase, coagulase (rabbit plasma), no
acid production from arabinose, fructose, lactose, maltose, mannitol, melibiose,
raffinose, xylitol, and xylose (admin note).