| Listeria grayi | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Bacteria |
| Kingdom: | Bacillati |
| Phylum: | Bacillota |
| Class: | Bacilli |
| Order: | Bacillales |
| Family: | Listeriaceae |
| Genus: | Listeria |
| Species: | L. grayi |
| Binomial name | |
| Listeria grayi Larsen et al. 1966 [1] | |
Listeria grayi is a species of bacteria. It is a Gram-positive, facultatively anaerobic, motile, non-spore-forming bacteria. It is non-hemolytic and its colonies are rod-shaped. The species was first proposed in 1966. It is named after M.L. Gray, an early researcher in L. monocytogenes [2] There are two subspecies of L. grayi: L. gray subs. grayi, and L. grayi subsp. murrayi. [3]
Listeria murrayi (named after a co-founder of L. monocytogenes ) was originally a separate species of Listeria when proposed in 1971. [4] However, there was controversy over whether L. grayi and L. murrayi were the same species, or belonged in genus Listeria altogether. In 1974, researchers suggested that a new genus be created for the two species, called, Murraya, [5] although furthers studies by other researchers in 1987 proposed that the two species remain in Listeria. [6] In 1996, further studies showed that L. murrayi was a subspecies of L. grayi. [2]
