The Desulfurization Pathway in Rhodococcus

Abstract

The genus Rhodococcus in the sub-order Corynebacteriniae has had a chequered taxonomic history, but many of the early uncertainties and confusions have been resolved satisfactorily through the application of chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic characters. Such information has allowed the creation and formal recognition of the closely related genera Gordonia , Tsukamurella and Dietzia to include isolates once placed unconvincingly in the genus Rhodococcus , and the re-assignment of former members of Nocardia and Tsukamurella to it. However, several taxonomic difficulties remain. Where to place Rhodococcus equi is still problematic, and many Rhodococcus isolates, some probably representing new species, have never been formally described. This chapter discusses the history of the evolution of this genus and its current status and suggests what systematic issues need to be resolved in the future.