A re-evaluation of the taxonomy of the genus Anaerovibrio, with the reclassification of Anaerovibrio glycerini as Anaerosinus glycerini gen. nov., comb. nov., and Anaerovibrio burkinabensis as Anaeroarcus burkinensis [corrig.] gen. nov., comb. nov.

Chemotaxonomic, electron microscopic and 16S rRNA gene sequence analyses of the three described species of the genus Anaerovibrio demonstrated only remote similarities to each other. The 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities between Anaerovibrio lipolytica, Anaerovibrio glycerini and Anaerovibrio burkinabensis and the derived phylogenetic relationships of the three species studied fell below genus level. All three species clustered within the Sporomusa-Pectinatus-Selenomonas phyletic group. Each species showed a distinct phospholipid pattern and whole-cell fatty acid distribution. Several isoprenologues of the lipoquinone 'lipid F' were found to differ in their quantitative distribution in the Anaerovibrio species. On the basis of these results, the new genera Anaerosinus gen. nov. and Anaeroarcus gen. nov. are proposed. The type species of Anaerosinus is Anaerosinus glycerini comb. nov., and the type species of Anaeroarcus is Anaeroarcus burkinensis [corrig.] comb. nov. The genus Anaerovibrio is consequently restricted to a single species, namely Anaerovibrio lipolyticus [corrig.]