Brevibacterium
Encyclopedia
Brevibacterium is a genus of bacteria
of the order Actinomycetales
. They are Gram-positive
soil
organisms. It is the sole genus in the family Brevibacteriaceae.
Brevibacterium linens is ubiquitously present on the human skin, where it causes foot odor
. The same bacterium is also employed to ferment several cheeses such as Limburger
, Port-du-Salut
and Năsal. Its smell also attracts mosquitoes.
Bacteria
Bacteria are a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria have a wide range of shapes, ranging from spheres to rods and spirals...
of the order Actinomycetales
Actinomycetales
Actinomycetales is an order of Actinobacteria. They are very diverse and contain a variety of subdivisions as well as yet unclassified isolates. This is mainly because some genera are very difficult to classify because of a highly niche-dependent phenotype...
. They are Gram-positive
Gram-positive
Gram-positive bacteria are those that are stained dark blue or violet by Gram staining. This is in contrast to Gram-negative bacteria, which cannot retain the crystal violet stain, instead taking up the counterstain and appearing red or pink...
soil
Soil
Soil is a natural body consisting of layers of mineral constituents of variable thicknesses, which differ from the parent materials in their morphological, physical, chemical, and mineralogical characteristics...
organisms. It is the sole genus in the family Brevibacteriaceae.
Brevibacterium linens is ubiquitously present on the human skin, where it causes foot odor
Foot odor
Foot odor is a type of body odor that affects the feet of humans and is generally considered to be an unpleasant smell.-Cause:...
. The same bacterium is also employed to ferment several cheeses such as Limburger
Limburger cheese
Limburger is a cheese that originated during the 19th century in the historical Duchy of Limburg, which is now divided among modern-day Belgium, Germany, and Netherlands. The cheese is especially known for its pungent odor commonly compared to body odor....
, Port-du-Salut
Port-du-Salut cheese
Port-du-Salut or Entrammes is a mild variety of smear-ripened cheese manufactured from cow's milk first made by monks in the early 18th century and still produced in monasteries throughout France....
and Năsal. Its smell also attracts mosquitoes.