Unidentified coryneform bacterial strain from cases of polyarthritis in chickens: phenotype and fatty acid profile.

We report isolation of a strain of fermentative coryneform bacteria from an outbreak of polyarthritis in chickens. This strain could not be assigned to any recognized bacterial taxon because its peculiar phenotype is not yet reported. The strain possessed phenotypic characteristics and fatty acid profile similar to Erysipelothrix but, on the other hand, exhibited temperature-dependent motility like Listeria.