Caulobacter | |
---|---|
Caulobacter crescentus | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Bacteria |
Phylum: | Pseudomonadota |
Class: | Alphaproteobacteria |
Order: | Caulobacterales |
Family: | Caulobacteraceae |
Genus: |
Caulobacter Poindexter 1964 |
Species | |
C. crescentus |
Caulobacter is a genus of Gram-negative bacteria in the class Alphaproteobacteria. [1] Its best-known member is Caulobacter crescentus, an organism ubiquitous in freshwater lakes and rivers; many members of the genus are specialized to oligotrophic environments.
Although Caulobacter is not commonly appreciated as a cause of human diseases, Caulobacter isolates have been implicated in a number of cases of recurrent peritonitis in peritoneal dialysis patients. [2] [3] One study has identified the species C. crescentus and C. mirare as the cause of a disease of the moth Galleria mellonella; the absence of identified distinct virulence factors in C. mirare may suggest that other Caulobacter species have pathogenic potential. [4]