| Micrococcus luteus | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Bacteria |
| Kingdom: | Bacillati |
| Phylum: | Actinomycetota |
| Class: | Actinomycetia |
| Order: | Micrococcales |
| Family: | Micrococcaceae |
| Genus: | Micrococcus |
| Species: | M. luteus |
| Binomial name | |
| Micrococcus luteus (Schroeter 1872) Cohn 1872 | |
Micrococcus luteus is aGram-positive to Gram-variable, nonmotile, tetrad-arranging, pigmented,saprotrophiccoccusbacterium in the familyMicrococcaceae.[1] It is urease andcatalase positive. An obligateaerobe,M. luteus is found in soil, dust, water and air, and as part of the normalmicrobiota of the mammalian skin. The bacterium also colonizes the humanmouth,mucosae,oropharynx andupper respiratory tract.
Micrococcus luteus is generally harmless but can become an opportunistic pathogen in immunocompromised people or those with indwelling catheters.[2] It resists antibiotic treatment by slowing of major metabolic processes and induction of unique genes.[citation needed] Itsgenome has a highG + C content.
Micrococcus luteus iscoagulase negative,bacitracin susceptible, and forms bright yellow colonies onnutrient agar.
Micrococcus luteus has been shown to survive inoligotrophic environments for extended periods of time. It has survived for at least 34,000 to 170,000 years, as assessed by 16S rRNA analysis, and possibly much longer.[3] Its genome was sequenced in 2010 and is one of the smallest genomes of free-livingActinomycetota sequenced to date, comprising a single circularchromosome of 2,501,097bp.[4]
Micrococcus luteus was one of the early examples of novelcodon usage,[5][6] which led to the conclusion that thegenetic code is not static, but evolves.
Micrococcus luteus was formerly known asMicrococcus lysodeikticus.[7]
In 2003, it was proposed that one strain ofMicrococcus luteus, ATCC 9341, be reclassified asKocuria rhizophila.[8]
Norwegian researchers in 2013 found aM. luteus strain that synthesizes a pigment that absorbs wavelengths of light from 350 to 475 nanometers. Exposure to these wavelengths ofultraviolet light has been correlated with an increased incidence ofskin cancer, and scientists believe this pigment can be used to make a sunscreen that can protect against ultraviolet light.[9]
| Test | Result |
|---|---|
| Gram stain | + |
| Catalase | + |
| Acid from glucose | - (yellow pigment) |
| Bacitracin | Sensitive |
| Motility | - |
| Nitrate reduction | - |
| Urease | + |
Media related toMicrococcus luteus at Wikimedia Commons