TABLE 2.
Comparison of characteristics of Catabacter hongkongensis and those of medically important, closely related anaerobic gram-positive rods
| Characteristic | Description
|
||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Catabacter hongkongensis (HKU16T) | Clostridium | Eubacterium | Eggerthella | Bifidobacterium | Propionibacterium | Actinomyces | |
| Gram smear appearance | Coccobacilli or short, straight rods | Straight or curved rods that are rounded, tapered, or blunt ended | Short rods | Short rods or coccobacilli | Rods with or without one bifurcated end, ends may appear club-like | Variable, may be diphtheroidal or club shaped, with one end round and the other end tapered, or coccoid, bifid, or branched | Variable, straight or slightly curved rods with true branching, with or without clubs; may be diphtheroidal or pleomorphic |
| Spore formation | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
| Motility | Motile | All but a few species are motile | Variable | Nonmotile | Nonmotile | Nonmotile | Nonmotile |
| Oxygen requirement | Obligately anaerobic | Obligately anaerobic or aerotolerant | Obligately anaerobic | Obligately anaerobic | Obligately anaerobic | Variable | Variable |
| Catalase | + | − (rarely weakly positive) | − | Variable | − | Variable | − (except for A. viscosus) |
| Indole production | − | Variable | − | − | − | Variable | − |
| Nitrate reduction | − | Variable | Variable | Variable | − | Variable | Variable |
| G+C content (mol %) | 40.2 ± 2.2 | 26-56 | 30-40 | 62 | 57-64 | 59-66 | 55-68 |