Janthinobacterium lividum

Janthinobacterium lividum
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Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Bacteria
Phylum:	Proteobacteria
Class:	Betaproteobacteria
Order:	Burkholderiales
Family:	Oxalobacteraceae
Genus:	Janthinobacterium
Species:	J. lividum
Binomial name
Janthinobacterium lividum (Eisenberg 1891) De Ley et al. 1978 (Approved Lists 1980)
Type strain
ATCC 12473 CCUG 2344 CIP 103349 DSM 1522 HAMBI 1919 JCM 9043 LMG 2892 NCTC 9796 VKM B-1223
Synonyms
Bacillus lividus Eisenberg 1891 Bacillus violaceus berolinensis Kruse 1896 Bacterium lividus [sic] (Eisenberg 1891) Chester 1897 Bacillus berolinensis Chester 1901 Chromobacterium lividum (Eisenberg 1891) Bergey et al. 1923 Chromobacterium violaceum Ford 1927 Chromobacterium amethystinum Breed et al. 1957 Chromobacterium violaceum Leifson 1956 Pseudomonas mephitica Claydon and Hammer 1939

Janthinobacterium lividum is an aerobic, gram-negative, soil-dwelling bacterium that has a distinctive dark-violet (almost black) color. This color is due to a compound called violacein, which is produced when glycerol is metabolized as a carbon source. Violacein has anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and anti-fungal properties. Its anti-fungal properties are of particular interest since J. lividum is found on the skin of certain amphibians, including the red-backed salamander (Plethodon cinereus), where it prevents infection by the devastating chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis).

Etymology

The genus name, Janthinobacterium, comes from Latin janthinus, which means "violet" or "violet-blue" + bacterium, which means rod or staff. The species name is also from Latin, lividum, which means "of a blue or leaden color".