Koval' G. Systematics and biology of the genus Klebsiella bacteria

It was shown fhat K. planticola, K. terrigena and K. oxytoca were more close than K. pneumoniae subsp. rhinoscleromatis and К. pneumoniae subsp. ozaenae to K. pneumoniae subsp. pneumoniae in polyamine composition, cellular fatty acid composition and metabolism peculiarities. These data not indicate in favour of inclusion of "K.rhinoscleromatis" and "K. ozaenae" in the species K. pneumoniae as subspecies. The essential differences in lipopolysaccharide fatty acid composition of K. pneumoniae subsp. pneumoniae, on one hand, and those of K. planticola, K. terrigena and K. oxytoca, on other hand, confirm the presence of certain phylogenetic distance between these bacteria and substantiation of isolation of saprophytic klebsiellae in separate species. The antilysozymic activity and entomopathogenic properties of saprophytic klebsiellae were founded. Some aspects of stimulating influence of klebsiellae on the growth of useful plants were investigated. The presence of the mimicry antigens (related to human er ythrocytes) in strains of all species of Klebsiella and their loss during cultivation in plant tissues were founded. The obtained data complete the ideas of the mechanisms of klebsiellae adaptation to ecological niches and their plasticity as pathogens and associants.