[The family Thermoactinomycetaceae--a review].

Thermoactinomycetaceae is a new and old prokaryotic group. The present taxonomic status is: Domain Bacteria, Phylum Firmicutes, Class Bacilli, Order Bacillales, Family Thermoactinomycetaceae. Study on this family is going on more than a century. Until now, this family comprises of 14 genera and 25 species. Members of the family Thermoactinomycetaceae are widely distributed in the terrestrial hot springs, high-temperature Daqu (a starter culture for Chinese alcohol fermentation), compost, straw, bagasse and other places of high temperature, and marine sediments. The drug-resistance spores can survive in soil, water for long time. They also have great potential in both industrial and drug development, So they got a wide attention by scholars. This paper reviews the research progress of taxonomical studies and ecological diversity of the family Thermoactinomycetaceae, also introduces their potential applications in drug development and industrial production.