Kocuria rosea

Kocuria rosea
Scientific classification
Domain: Bacteria
Kingdom: Bacillati
Phylum: Actinomycetota
Class: Actinomycetes
Order: Micrococcales
Family: Micrococcaceae
Genus: Kocuria
Species:
K. rosea
Binomial name
Kocuria rosea
(Flügge 1886) Stackebrandt et al. 1995[1]
Type strain
ATCC 186
CCM 679
CCUG 4312
CIP 71.15
DSM 20447
IEGM 394
IFO 3768
JCM 11614
LMG 14224
NBRC 3768
NCTC 7523
NRRL B-2977
VKM B-1823
Synonyms[1]
  • Pelczaria aurantia Poston 1994
  • Deinococcus erythromyxa (ex Chester 1901) Brooks and Murray 1981
  • Micrococcus roseus Flügge 1886 (Approved Lists 1980)
  • Kocuria erythromyxa (Brooks and Murray 1981) Rainey et al. 1997

Kocuria rosea is a gram-positive bacteria that is catalase-positive and oxidase-positive. It has a coccus shape that occurs in the tetrad arrangement and is a strict aerobe that grows best from 25 to 37 °C.[2] K. rosea has also been found to cause urinary tract infections in people with weakened immune systems.[3]

The normal habitat for this Kocuria species is skin, soil, and water.[4] It derives its name from the carotenoid pigment that it secretes.[5] Isolated colonies on a TSA plate are circular, 1.0–1.5 mm in size, slightly convex, smooth, and pink in color.[6]

Metabolism

K. rosea has been found to be able to biodegrade malachite green, azo dyes, triphenylmethane, as well as some other industrial dyes.[7] Due to its ability to biodegrade these dyes, it has become of interest as a potential means to biodegrade dyes that would otherwise take a long time to naturally break down. It also has been found to have the ability to perform keratin hydrolysis through the production of keratinases.[8]

  • Kocuria rosea* strain DBUPL4, isolated from soil in the Guassa Community Conservation Area (GCCA) in Ethiopia, demonstrated extracellular amylase production. On starch agar it produced a clear hydrolysis halo of approximately 15 mm following iodine flooding, indicating active starch degradation. [9]

Multiple strains of K. rosea have been reported to grow poorly or be inhibited on Simmons’ citrate agar, likely due to an interaction with the bromothymol blue pH indicator. [10]

Stress tolerance

Growth studies on Kocuria rosea strain DBUPL4 showed optimal proliferation between 25–30 °C, with peak growth at 30 °C and markedly reduced growth above 40 °C. Other studies report a broader temperature growth window ranging from 25–37 °C depending on strain variation.[11][12]

An environmental isolate, K. rosea strain MG2, was recovered from a naturally radioactive alkaline hot spring and exhibited tolerance to multiple physical and chemical stresses. This strain grew optimally at approximately pH 9.2, survived up to 15% NaCl, resisted UV-C irradiation at intensities normally lethal to most non-extremophilic bacteria, tolerated oxidative stress, and maintained viability after 28-day desiccation. These properties indicate that some K. rosea strains may possess polyextremotolerance, a trait common among many Actinobacteria.[13]

Certain strains of K. rosea (including strains 394 and 397) have been reported to carry an RM gene strongly homologous to rifampicin-resistance determinants, suggesting potential rifampicin resistance.[14]

References

  1. ^ a b Parte, A.C. "Kocuria". LPSN.
  2. ^ Leboffe, Michael J.; Burton E. Pierce. The Photographic Atlas for the Microbiology Laboratory (3rd ed.).
  3. ^ "Kocuria rosea". vumicro.com. Retrieved 9 November 2017.
  4. ^ Sneath, Peter (1986). Bergeys Manual of Systemic Bacteriology Volume 2.
  5. ^ Jagannadham, MV; M.K. Chattopadhyay; S. Shivaji (1996). "The major carotenoid pigment of a psychrotrophic Micrococcus roseus strain: Fluorescence properties of the pigment and its binding to membranes". Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications. 220 (3). Elsevier Publishing: 724–728. Bibcode:1996BBRC..220..724J. doi:10.1006/bbrc.1996.0471. PMID 8607832.
  6. ^ Holt, John. Bergeys Manual of Determinative Bacteriology (9th ed.).
  7. ^ Parshetti, Ganesh; Kalme, Satish; Saratale, Ganesh; Govindwar, Sanjay (August 8, 2006). "Biodegradation of Malachite Green by Kocuria rosea MTCC 1532". www.researchgate.net.
  8. ^ Bernal, C.; Vidal, L.; Valdivieso, E.; Coello, N. (2003-04-01). "Keratinolytic activity of Kocuria rosea". World Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology. 19 (3): 255–261. Bibcode:2003WJMB...19..255B. doi:10.1023/A:1023685621215. ISSN 0959-3993. S2CID 83778784.
  9. ^ Kim, S.-H.; Kim, W.-J.; Ryu, J.; Yerefu, Y.; Tesfaw, A. (2025). "Amylase production by the new strains of Kocuria rosea and Micrococcus endophyticus isolated from soil in the Guassa Community Conservation Area". Fermentation. 11 (4): 211. doi:10.3390/fermentation11040211.
  10. ^ Stoica, C. "Kocuria rosea". ABIS Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2025-12-03.
  11. ^ Kim, S.-H.; Kim, W.-J.; Ryu, J.; Yerefu, Y.; Tesfaw, A. (2025). "Amylase production by the new strains of Kocuria rosea and Micrococcus endophyticus isolated from soil in the Guassa Community Conservation Area". Fermentation. 11 (4): 211. doi:10.3390/fermentation11040211.
  12. ^ Stoica, C. "Kocuria rosea". ABIS Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2025-12-03.
  13. ^ Shivlata, L.; Satyanarayana, T. (2015). "Thermophilic and alkaliphilic Actinobacteria: biology and potential applications". Frontiers in Microbiology. 6: 1014. Bibcode:2015FrMic...601014S. doi:10.3389/fmicb.2015.01014. PMC 4585250. PMID 26441937.
  14. ^ Zorov, D. B.; Popova, E. M.; Zakharevich, M. V. (2025). "Distribution of Antibiotic Resistance Genes in Kocuria species". Antibiotics. 14 (10): 1041. doi:10.3390/antibiotics14101041. PMC 12562059. PMID 41148733.


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