Mikrotilallea

Mikrotilallea is a genus of bacteria first described from environmental samples collected in a temperate European forest. The genus currently comprises three named species: Mikrotilallea prima, Mikrotilallea secunda, and Mikrotilallea tertia. The type species is Mikrotilallea prima.

Cells are small, non-spore-forming rods, typically 0.6–0.9 µm by 1.5–2.5 µm, and are motile with polar flagella. Colonies are smooth and circular, pale to yellowish. They are Gram-negative and chemoorganoheterotrophic, facultative aerobes with an optimum growth around 28–30°C and neutral pH.

They metabolize simple sugars and some plant-derived compounds; they are oxidase-positive and catalase-positive. They can degrade certain aromatic compounds under aerobic conditions. The genomes are relatively small, around 3.4–3.8 Mbp, with a G+C content in the mid-50s to around 60 mol%.

Isolated from soil and freshwater environments, including plant rhizospheres and decaying litter, Mikrotilallea has also been detected in biofilms on plant roots and occasionally in wastewater-related habitats. Their ecological role likely includes contributions to carbon turnover and interactions within plant-associated microbial communities.

The genus is presently considered provisional; higher-level placement varies among analyses, with most 16S rRNA gene trees clustering Mikrotilallea with soil-associated Gammaproteobacteria, but without a clearly assigned family. The name Mikrotilallea is derived from roots meaning “small” and “soil dweller.”