''Brevibacterium linens'' is a

gram-positive In bacteriology, gram-positive bacteria are bacteria that give a positive result in the Gram stain test, which is traditionally used to quickly classify bacteria into two broad categories according to their type of cell wall. Gram-positive bac ...

rod-shaped A bacillus (), also called a bacilliform bacterium or often just a rod (when the context makes the sense clear), is a rod-shaped bacterium or archaeon. Bacilli are found in many different taxonomic groups of bacteria. However, the name '' Bacil ...

bacterium Bacteria (; singular: bacterium) are ubiquitous, mostly free-living organisms often consisting of one biological cell. They constitute a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria were a ...

. It is the

type species In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specimen( ...

of the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

'' Brevibacteriaceae''. ''Brevibacterium linens'' is ubiquitously present on the human skin, where it causes

foot odor Foot odor (also spelled foot odour) or bromodosis is a type of body odor that affects the feet of humans. It is sometimes considered to be an unpleasant smell, but can also be the target of foot fetishism, more specifically as a form of olfac ...

. The familiar odor is due to sulfur-containing compounds known as S-methyl thioesters. The same bacterium is also employed to ferment several washed-rind and smear-ripened cheeses such as

Munster Munster ( gle, an Mhumhain or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the south of Ireland. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" ( ga, rí ruirech). Following th ...

, Limburger, Tilsit cheese, Port-du-Salut, Raclette,

Livarot Livarot () is a former commune in the Calvados department in the Normandy region in northwestern France. On 1 January 2016, it was merged into the new commune of Livarot-Pays-d'Auge. The population is composed of 2,052 inhabitants (in 2017) and t ...

, Pont l'Eveque, Époisses, Wisconsin Brick, Năsal and Pálpusztai. Its aroma also attracts mosquitoes. The first comprehensive proteomic reference map of ''B. linens'' was published in 2013.

References

External links

Type strain of ''Brevibacterium linens'' at Bac''Dive'' - the Bacterial Diversity Metadatabase
Bacteria used in dairy products Bacteria described in 1953 Micrococcales {{actinobacteria-stub