Paenibacillus polymyxa | |
---|---|
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Bacteria |
Division: | Firmicutes |
Class: | Bacilli |
Order: | Bacillales |
Family: | Paenibacillaceae |
Genus: |
Paenibacillus (Prazmowski 1880) Ash et al. 1994 |
Binomial name | |
Paenibacillus polymyxa |
|
Type strain | |
ATCC 842 CCUG 1086 CFBP 4258 CIP 66.22 DSM 36 HAMBI 635 and 1897 JCM 2507 LMG 13294 NBRC 15309 NCCB 24016 NCTC 10343 NRRL B-4317 VKM B-514 |
|
Synonyms | |
Bacillus polymyxa (Prazmowski 1880) Macé 1889 |
Bacillus polymyxa (Prazmowski 1880) Macé 1889
Clostridium polymyxa Prazmowski 1880
Granulobacter polymyxa (Prazmowski 1880) Beijerinck 1893
Aerobacillus polymyxa (Prazmowski 1880) Donker 1926
Pseudomonas azotogensis Voets and Debacker
Paenibacillus polymyxa, also known as Bacillus polymyxa, is a Gram-positive bacterium capable of fixing nitrogen. It is found in soil, plant roots, and marine sediments. Strains of this species were also isolated from cod intestines by students at the University of Tromsø in February 2009.
P. polymyxa can be grown in the laboratory on TSAg-medium.
P. polymyxa is used as a soil inoculant in agriculture and horticulture. Biofilms of P. polymyxa growing on plant roots have been shown to produce exopolysaccharides which protect the plants from pathogens. The interactions between this bacterial species and plant roots also cause the root hairs to undergo physical changes.
Some strains of P. polymyxa produce polymyxin antibiotic compounds.Surfactant complexes isolated from P. polymyxa have been shown to be effective in disrupting biofilms of Bacillus subtilis, Micrococcus luteus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus and .
P. polymyxa is the source of dispase, an enzyme used to isolate cells from animal tissues.