Gordonia (bacterium)

Gordonia is a genus of gram-positive to gram-variable, aerobic, catalase-positive bacterium in the Actinomycetota, closely related to the Rhodococcus, Mycobacterium, Skermania, and Nocardia genera. Gordonia bacteria are non-motile, and non-sporulating. Gordonia is from the same lineage that includes Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The genus was discovered by Tsukamura in 1971 and named after American bacteriologist Ruth Gordon. Many species are often found in the soil, while other species have been isolated from aquatic environments. Some species have been associated with problems like sludge bulking and foaming in wastewater treatment plants. Gordonia species are rarely known to cause infections in humans.

Some pathogenic instances of Gordonia have been reported to cause skin and soft tissue infections, including bacteremia and cutaneous infections. Though infections are generally treated with antibiotics, surgical procedures are sometimes used to contain infections. Some investigations have found that 28 °C is the ideal temperature for the growth of Gordonia bacteria. Gordonia species often have high G-C base pair contents in DNA, ranging from 63% to 69%.

Some species of Gordonia, such as Gordonia rubripertincta, produce colonies that have a bright orange or orange-red color.

Some strains of Gordonia have recently garnered interest in the biotechnology industry due to their ability to degrade environmental pollutants.