Psychrobacter

Psychrobacter is a genus of Gram-negative, osmotolerant, oxidase-positive, psychrophilic or psychrotolerant, aerobic bacteria which belong to the family Moraxellaceae and the class Gammaproteobacteria. The shape is typically cocci or coccobacilli. Some of those bacteria were isolated from humans and can cause humans infections such as endocarditis and peritonitis. This genus of bacteria is capable to grow at temperatures between −10 and 42°C. Rudi Rossau found through DNA-rRNA hybridization analysis that Psychrobacter belongs to the Moraxellaceae. The first species (Psychrobacter immobilis) was described by Juni and Heym. Psychrobacter occur in wide range of moist, cold saline habitats, but they also occur in warm and slightly saline habitats.