New Microbes and New Infections (Sep 2023)

Use of gene sequences as type for naming prokaryotes: Recommendations of the international committee on the taxonomy of chlamydiae

  • Gilbert Greub,
  • Trestan Pillonel,
  • Patrik M. Bavoil,
  • Nicole Borel,
  • Lee Ann Campbell,
  • Deborah Dean,
  • Scott Hefty,
  • Matthias Horn,
  • Servaas A. Morré,
  • Scot P. Ouellette,
  • Yvonne Pannekoek,
  • Mirja Puolakkainen,
  • Peter Timms,
  • Raphael Valdivia,
  • Daisy Vanrompay

Journal volume & issue
Vol. 54
p. 101158

Abstract

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The International Committee on Systematics of Prokaryotes (ICSP) discussed and rejected in 2020 a proposal to modify the International Code of Nomenclature of Prokaryotes to allow the use of gene sequences as type for naming prokaryotes. An alternative nomenclatural code, the Code of Nomenclature of Prokaryotes Described from Sequence Data (SeqCode), which considers genome sequences as type material for naming species, was published in 2022. Members of the ICSP subcommittee for the taxonomy of the phylum Chlamydiae (Chlamydiota) consider that the use of gene sequences as type would benefit the taxonomy of microorganisms that are difficult to culture such as the chlamydiae and other strictly intracellular bacteria. We recommend the registration of new names of uncultured prokaryotes in the SeqCode registry.

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