DNA base composition of yellowErwinia strains

DNA base composition, expressed as % GC, was determined in 34 strains of yellow-pigmentedErwinia-like organisms from plant, animal and human origin. Organisms calledErwinia herbicola (Graham and Hodgkiss, 1967) have a % GC in the narrow range 55.0 to 56.5, with the exception of strain G 146 which has 58.6% GC. They include the formerBacterium herbicola, Erwinia lathyri, Bacterium typhi flavum and the Muraschi isolates,Erwinia milletiae with 55.8 % falls within the % GC range of theHerbicola group,Erwinia ananas is at the lower end of the group with 54.8 ± 0.4 % GC andErwinia uredovora still lower at 53.7 ± 0.7 % GC. These data and the compositional distribution of the DNA fragments do not exclude the inclusion of these organisms into the genusErwinia.