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The Genus Selenomonas

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The Prokaryotes

Species of Selenomonas are defined as anaerobic, Gram-negative, curved or crescent-shaped rods that are motile by means of a tuft of flagella originating from the inner curvature of the cell. Selenomonads have been isolated from the rumen and ceca of mammals, and the human oral cavity. Depending upon the health or diet of the host, these bacteria can constitute a significant proportion of the total microbial population. In general, selenomonads are obligately saccharolytic, although some strains ferment lactate or amino acids. It has been suggested that the role of ruminal and intestinal selenomonads involves the fermentation of soluble sugars and lactate in their natural environments. Oral selenomonads may play a role in the pathogenesis of periodontal disease in humans. The first classification of selenomonads was by Miller (1887), who designated strains from the human mouth as Spirillum sputigenum, but the present classification system places these organisms in the genus Selenomonas...

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Authors
  1. Robert B. Hespell
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  2. Bruce J. Paster
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  3. Floyd E. Dewhirst
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Microbiology, University of Minnesota, Box 196, Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN 55455-0312, USA

    Martin Dworkin Professor Dr. (Editor-in-Chief) (Editor-in-Chief)

  2. Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University Medical School, 299 Campus Drive, Fairchild, D039, Stanford, CA, 94305-5124, USA

    Stanley Falkow

  3. Department of Molecular Microbiology and Biotechnology, Tel Aviv University, Ramat-Aviv, 69978, Israel

    Eugene Rosenberg

  4. Department of Microbiology, Technical University Munich, 80290, Munich, Germany

    Karl-Heinz Schleifer

  5. DSMZ- German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures GmbH, Mascheroder Weg 1b, 38124, Braunschweig, Germany

    Erko Stackebrandt

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© 2006 Springer-Verlag

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Hespell, R.B., Paster, B.J., Dewhirst, F.E. (2006). The Genus Selenomonas . In: Dworkin, M., Falkow, S., Rosenberg, E., Schleifer, KH., Stackebrandt, E. (eds) The Prokaryotes. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/0-387-30744-3_33

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