Fluvirucins A1, A2, B1, B2, B3, B4 and B5, new antibiotics active against influenza A virus. IV. Taxonomy on the producing organisms.

The morphology, chemotaxonomy, and cultural and physiological characteristics were examined on the five strains of actinomycetes which produce antiviral antibiotics, fluvirucin congeners. All strains have meso-2,6-diaminopimelic acid in the cell wall. Four strains, Q464-31, L407-5, R359-5 and R516-16, belong to the maduromycetes since they have madurose in the whole cell. The remaining one strain, R869-90, has rhamnose but no madurose, and is a nocardioform actinomycete. These five strains were classified and designated as follows: Strain Q464-31 (fluvirucin A1 producer): Microtetraspora tyrrhenii sp. nov. (Actinomadura pusilla group). Strain L407-5 (fluvirucin B2 producer): A maduromycete. Strain R359-5 (fluvirucin B1 producer): Microtetraspora pusilla (Actinomadura pusilla group). Strain R869-90 (fluvirucin A2 producer): Saccharothrix mutabilis. Strain R516-16 (fluvirucins B2, B3, B4 and B5 producer): A maduromycete.