Halomonas

{{Short description|Genus of bacteria}}

{{Automatic taxobox

| image = Detached_rusticles_hires.jpg

| image_caption = Rusticles of the RMS Titanic containing H. titanicae

| taxon = Halomonas

| authority = Vreeland et al. 1980 emend. Dobson and Franzmann 1996

| type_species = Halomonas elongata

| subdivision_ranks = Species

| subdivision = See text

}}

Halomonas is a genus of halophilic (salt-tolerating) bacteria. It grows over the range of 5 to 25% NaCl.{{citation needed|date=April 2015}}

The type species of this genus is Halomonas elongata.{{cite journal | last1 = Vreeland | first1 = R.H. | last2 = Litchfield | first2 = C.D. | last3 = Martin | first3 = E.L. | last4 = Elliot | first4 = E. | year = 1980 | title = Halomonas elongata, a new genus and species of extremely salt-tolerant bacteria | journal = Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol. | volume = 30 | issue = 2| pages = 485–495 | doi=10.1099/00207713-30-2-485| doi-access = free }}

Description

Members of Halomonas are Gram-negative, rod-shaped bacteria, generally 0.6-0.8 μm by 1.6-1.9 μm.{{cite book|title=Bergey's Manual of Systematics of Archaea and Bacteria |pages=1–19 |author=Vreeland RH |date=2015 |doi=10.1002/9781118960608.gbm01190 |chapter=Halomonas |editor=Whitman WB|isbn=9781118960608 }} They move by using flagella. They grow in the presence of oxygen, although some have been reported to be able to grow without oxygen. When grown on an agar plate, they form white/yellow colonies that turn light brown over time.

Ecology

Halomonas species have been found in a broad variety of saline environments, including estuaries, the ocean, and saline lakes.

Species

Pathogenic potential

Certain species of Halomonas may display pathogenic potential in humans. In one study, three species were isolated from two patients suffering bacteremia in a dialysis center. The study hypothesized that the bicarbonate used in the dialysis fluid may have been contaminated by the bacteria.{{cite journal |doi = 10.1097/MD.0b013e3181aede29 |pmid = 19593230 |volume=88 |issue=4 |title=Halomonas, a newly recognized human pathogen causing infections and contamination in a dialysis center: three new species |date=July 2009 |journal=Medicine (Baltimore) |pages=244–9 | last1 = Stevens | first1 = DA | last2 = Hamilton | first2 = JR | last3 = Johnson | first3 = N | last4 = Kim | first4 = KK | last5 = Lee | first5 = JS|s2cid = 36761419 | url = http://repository.kribb.re.kr/bitstream/201005/9162/1/8406.pdf }}

Health

Halomonas sp. KM-1 is used for industrial production of β-hydroxybutyric acid (BHB).{{Cite journal |last=Katsuya |first=Shohei |last2=Kawata |first2=Yoshikazu |last3=Sugimoto |first3=Masayuki |last4=Nishimura |first4=Taku |last5=Tsubota |first5=Jun |date=2024-08-26 |title=Determination of the safety of Halomonas sp. KM-1-derived d-β-hydroxybutyric acid and its fermentation-derived impurities in mice and Japanese adults |url=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38936830/ |journal=Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry |volume=88 |issue=9 |pages=1073–1080 |doi=10.1093/bbb/zbae088 |issn=1347-6947 |pmid=38936830|doi-access=free }}

Etymology

The name Halomonas derives from: Greek noun hals, halos (ἅλς, ἁλός), salt; and monas (μονάς), nominally meaning "a unit", but in effect meaning a bacterium; thus, salt (-tolerant) monad.{{lpsn|h/halomonas.html|Halomonas}}

Members of the genus Halomonas can be referred to as halomonads (see Trivialisation of names).

References