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ThermusRANK: GenusTAXONOMY: Bacteria -> Terrabacteria group -> Deinococcus-Thermus -> Deinococci -> Thermales -> Thermaceae -> Thermus OVERVIEW: Straight rods, 0.5–0.8 µm in diameter; the cell length is variable. Short filaments are also formed under some culture conditions. Some strains have a stable filamentous morphology. Nonmotile; do not possess flagella. Endospores are not observed. Stain Gram-negative. Most strains form yellow-pigmented colonies, some strains are nonpigmented. Aerobic with a strictly respiratory type of metabolism, but some strains grow anaerobically with nitrate and nitrite as terminal electron acceptors. Oxidase positive and catalase positive. Thermophilic, with an optimum growth temperature of about 70–75°C; most strains have a maximum growth temperature below 80°C, but some strains grow at higher temperatures. The optimum pH is about 7.8. Menaquinone 8 is the predominant respiratory quinone; ornithine is the principal diamino acid of the peptidoglycan. One major phospholipid and one major glycolipid dominate the polar lipid pattern on thin-layer chromatography. Additional phospholipids and glycolipids are minor components. Fatty acids are predominantly iso- and anteiso-branched; branched chain 3-hydroxy fatty acids are present in some strains. Proteins and peptides are hydrolyzed by all strains. Starch is hydrolyzed by some strains. Monosaccharides, disaccharides, amino acids, and organic acids are used as sole carbon and energy sources. The utilization of pentoses and polyols is very rare. Most strains require yeast extract or cofactors for growth. Found in hydrothermal areas with neutral to alkaline pH, also commonly isolated from man-made thermal environments.The mol% G + C of the DNA is: 57–65.Type species: Thermus aquaticus
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