''Pluralibacter pyrinus'' (formerly ''Enterobacter pyrinus'') is a

Gram-negative Gram-negative bacteria are bacteria that, unlike gram-positive bacteria, do not retain the crystal violet stain used in the Gram staining method of bacterial differentiation. Their defining characteristic is that their cell envelope consists ...

, motile, facultatively-anaerobic,

rod-shaped Bacterial cellular morphologies are the shapes that are characteristic of various types of bacteria and often key to their identification. Their direct examination under a light microscope enables the classification of these bacteria (and archae ...

bacterium Bacteria (; : 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 among the ...

. ''P. pyrinus'' is the causitive agent of brown

leaf spot A leaf spot is a limited, discoloured, diseased area of a leaf that is caused by fungal, bacterial or viral plant diseases, or by injuries from nematodes, insects, environmental factors, toxicity or herbicides. These discoloured spots or lesions ...

disease of

pear Pears are fruits produced and consumed around the world, growing on a tree and harvested in late summer into mid-autumn. The pear tree and shrub are a species of genus ''Pyrus'' , in the Family (biology), family Rosaceae, bearing the Pome, po ...

trees.

Background

The cause of brown leaf spot disease affecting pear trees in

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

was first identified as a novel bacterial infection in 1990. The proposed name for the species was ''Erwinia pirina'', but this name was not validly published. In 1993, further research grouped the organism in the genus ''

Enterobacter ''Enterobacter'' is a genus of common Gram-negative, Facultative anaerobic organism, facultatively anaerobic, bacillus (shape), rod-shaped, non-spore-forming bacteria of the family Enterobacteriaceae. Cultures are found in soil, water, sewage, ...

'' as ''E. pyrinus.'' Later studies of the genus ''Enterobacter'' lead to the species being reclassified into the novel genus '' Pluralibacter'' in 2013. The species name is derived from the Greek word ''pŷr'', which means pear.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q26271228 Enterobacteriaceae Gram-negative bacteria