Massilia (bacterium)
| Massilia | |
|---|---|
| Violacein-producing Massilia growing on a petri plate | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Bacteria |
| Kingdom: | Pseudomonadati |
| Phylum: | Pseudomonadota |
| Class: | Betaproteobacteria |
| Order: | Burkholderiales |
| Family: | Oxalobacteraceae |
| Genus: | Massilia La Scola et al. 2000 |
| Species | |
|
Massilia aerilata | |
The genus Massilia is an outdated genus name of bacteria within the family Oxalobacteriaceae. All Massilia species were reclassified in 2023 into one of the following genera: Duganella, Pseudoduganella, Janthinobacterium, Telluria, Rugamonas, Mokoshia, or Zemynaea.
They may contain either peritrichous or polar flagella. This genus was first described in 1998, after the type species, Massilia timonae, was isolated from the blood of an immunocompromised patient. The genus was named after the old Greek and Roman name for the city of Marseille, France, where the organism was first isolated. However, 16S rRNA-based phylogenetic trees in 2023 determined that many Massilia species actually belong within the Telluria genus, which was validly published first, having nomenclatural priority.
Massilia are a diverse group that reside in many different environments, have many heterotrophic means of gathering energy, and are commonly found in association with plants.