Cells are Gram-negative, aerobic rods. Colonies grown on TSA for 2 days are cream-coloured, circular, smooth and convex with diameters of 1–2 mm. Temperature range for growth is 25–30 °C; no growth occurs at 42 °C. Growth occurs in the absence of NaCl and in the presence of 0.5 % NaCl (w/v), but not at higher concentrations. Other characteristics that do not differentiate B. sartisoli from B. phenazinium are listed above. The type strain can be differentiated from B. phenazinium LMG 2247 T based on production of acid from adonitol but not from d-xylose. Malate, citrate and arabinose are assimilated, but adipate and sucrose are not. Catalase- and oxidase-positive. Nitrate is reduced. Aesculin and Tween 80 are hydrolysed. Positive for urease and C 4-esterase, but not for amylase or C 8-ester lipase. The predominant fatty acids are C 17 : 0 cyclo and C 16 : 0. The G+C content of the genomic DNA is 63.5 mol%.

B. sartisoli strains have been isolated from soil samples. The type strain, RP007 T (=LMG 24000 T =CCUG 53604 T =ICMP 13529 T), was isolated from a PAH-contaminated soil in New Zealand. The subculture of strain RP007 T used in the present study is a spontaneous rifampicin-resistant mutant of the original strain ( Laurie & Lloyd-Jones, 1999 ). LMG 18808 (=CCUG 54570) and LMG 24204 are two other strains of the species. Strain LMG 24204 is a new deposit of strain RG6-9 ( Salles et al., 2006 ), since LMG 22948 was lost.