Characterization of Flavobacterium species by analysis of volatile fatty acid production.

Seventy-four Flavobacterium strains were characterized by gas-liquid chromatographic analysis of volatile fatty acids produced in the culture medium. Principal components analysis permitted the graphic representation of the relative positions of the different strains, and aggregation according to the variance enabled a hierarchical classification to be established. The study revealed three subgroups each for F. meningosepticum and F. odoratum. Our F. breve, Flavobacterium sp. group IIb and F. multivorum strains appeared to be homogeneous. These results tallied with those of previous studies on DNA base composition and reassociation, electrophoretic protein profiles and cellular fatty acid composition.