The Bacillaceae are a
family of
gram-positive,
heterotrophic, rod-shaped
bacteria that may produce
endospore
An endospore is a dormant, tough, and non-reproductive structure produced by some bacteria in the phylum Bacillota. The name "endospore" is suggestive of a spore or seed-like form (''endo'' means 'within'), but it is not a true spore (i.e., no ...
s. Motile members of this family are characterized by peritrichous flagella. Some Bacillaceae are
aerobic, while others are
facultative
{{wiktionary, facultative
Facultative means "optional" or "discretionary" (antonym '' obligate''), used mainly in biology in phrases such as:
* Facultative (FAC), facultative wetland (FACW), or facultative upland (FACU): wetland indicator statuses ...
or strict
anaerobes. Most are not
pathogenic
In biology, a pathogen ( el, πάθος, "suffering", "passion" and , "producer of") in the oldest and broadest sense, is any organism or agent that can produce disease. A pathogen may also be referred to as an infectious agent, or simply a germ ...
, but ''
Bacillus'' species are known to cause disease in humans.
Gram-variable cell wall
Some Bacillaceae, such as the genera ''
Filobacillus
''Filobacillus'' is a genus of bacteria within the phylum Bacillota. It contains the type and only species, '' Filobacillus milensis'', though other species and strains have been isolated. Species in this genus are generally halotolerant
Haloto ...
,
Lentibacillus
''Lentibacillus'' is a Gram-variable bacterial genus from the family of Bacillaceae
The Bacillaceae are a family of gram-positive, heterotrophic, rod-shaped bacteria that may produce endospores. Motile members of this family are characterize ...
,'' and ''
Halobacillus
''Halobacillus'' is a bacterial genus from the family of Bacillaceae. ''Halobacillus'' species are gram positive, oxidase positive, catalase negative, rod shaped marine bacteria. S.I. Paul et al. (2021) isolated and characterized two species of ' ...
'', stain Gram-negative or Gram-variable, but are known to have a Gram-positive cell wall.
[Lim, J.M., Jeon, C.O., Song, S.M., and C.J. Kim. 2005]
''Pontibacillus chungwhensis gen. nov., sp. nov., a moderately halophilic Gram-positive bacterium from a solar saltern in Korea''
Int. J. Syst. Evol. Microbiol. 55:165-170.
Nomenclature
Taxa within this family are sometimes colloquially identified as
bacilli. However, this term is ambiguous because it does not distinguish between class
Bacilli, order
Bacillales, family Bacillaceae, and genus ''
Bacillus''.
Genera
The
polyphyletic family Bacillaceae comprises the following:
See Also
*
List of bacteria genera
*
List of bacterial orders
References
Bacillales
{{Bacilli-stub