Acinetobacter baylyi

Acinetobacter baylyi is a bacterial species of the genus Acinetobacter. The species naming designation was given after the discovery of strains in activated sludge in Victoria, Australia, in 2003. A. baylyi is named after the late Dr. Ronald Bayly, an Australian microbiologist who contributed significantly to research on aromatic compound catabolism in diverse bacteria, including strains of Pseudomonas, Alcaligenes, and Acinetobacter. The new species designation in 2003 was found to apply to an already well-studied Acinetobacter strain known as ADP1 (previously known as BD413), a derivative of a soil isolate characterized in 1969. Strain ADP1 was previously designated Acinetobacter sp. and Acinetobacter calcoaceticus. Research, particularly in the field of genetics, has established A. baylyi as a model organism.

As with other species of Acinetobacter, it is a nonmotile, Gram-negative coccobacillus. It grows under strictly aerobic conditions, is catalase-positive, nitrate-negative, oxidase-negative, and non-fermentative. The species is naturally competent, meaning that it can take up free exogenous DNA from its surroundings without being forced, and could then, if there are complementary sequences upstream and downstream the exogenous DNA, potentially incorporate it into its own chromosomal DNA by transformation. Its natural transformation and homologous recombination are exceptionally efficient in comparison to all studied microbes, thus contributing to its experimental utility.

A. baylyi is used for industrial purposes, and has shown promise as a method for alternative fuel sources, monitoring operation and efficiency of machinery impacting the environment, and aiding in cleaning up oil spills.