''Bergey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology'' is the main resource for determining the identity of prokaryotic organisms, emphasizing bacterial species, using every characterizing aspect. The manual was published subsequent to the ''Bergey's Manual of Determinative Bacteriology'', though the latter is still published as a guide for identifying unknown bacteria. First published in 1923 by

David Hendricks Bergey David Hendricks Bergey was an American bacteriologist, born December 27, 1860, in Skippack, Pennsylvania, died September 5, 1937, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He studied at University of Pennsylvania, where he obtained his Bachelor of Science a ...

, it is used to classify bacteria based on their structural and functional attributes by arranging them into specific familial orders. However, this process has become more

empirical Empirical evidence for a proposition is evidence, i.e. what supports or counters this proposition, that is constituted by or accessible to sense experience or experimental procedure. Empirical evidence is of central importance to the sciences and ...

in recent years. The ''Taxonomic Outline of Bacteria and Archaea'' is a derived publication indexing taxon names from version two of the manual. It used to be available for free from the Bergey's manual trust website until September 2018.

Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the United States. It i ...

provides an alternative version that indexes NamesforLife records. The five-volume BMSB is officially replaced by ''Bergey's Manual of Systematic of Archaea and Bacteria'' (BMSAB), a continuously-updated online book, since 2015.

Organization

The change in volume set to "''Systematic Bacteriology''" came in a new contract in 1980, whereupon the new style included "relationships between organisms" and had "expanded scope" overall. This new style was picked up for a four-volume set that first began publishing in 1984. The information in the volumes was separated as: ''Volume 1'' included information on all types of

Gram-negative bacteria Gram-negative bacteria are bacteria that do not retain the crystal violet stain used in the Gram staining method of bacterial differentiation. They are characterized by their cell envelopes, which are composed of a thin peptidoglycan cell wall ...

that were considered to have "medical and industrial importance." ''Volume 2'' included information on all types of

Gram-positive bacteria In bacteriology, gram-positive bacteria are bacteria that give a positive result in the Gram stain test, which is traditionally used to quickly classify bacteria into two broad categories according to their type of cell wall. Gram-positive ba ...

. ''Volume 3'' deals with all of the remaining, slightly different Gram-negative bacteria, along with the Archaea. ''Volume 4'' has information on filamentous

actinomycetes The Actinomycetales is an order of Actinomycetota. A member of the order is often called an actinomycete. Actinomycetales are generally gram-positive and anaerobic and have mycelia in a filamentous and branching growth pattern. Some actinomycete ...

and other, similar bacteria. The current volumes differ drastically from previous volumes in that many higher taxa are not defined in terms of phenotype, but solely on 16S phylogeny, as is the case of the classes within Proteobacteria. The current grouping is: * Volume 1 (2001): The Archaea and the deeply branching and phototrophic Bacteria * Volume 2 (2005): The

Proteobacteria Pseudomonadota (synonym Proteobacteria) is a major phylum of Gram-negative bacteria. The renaming of phyla in 2021 remains controversial among microbiologists, many of whom continue to use the earlier names of long standing in the literature. The ...

—divided into three books: ** 2A: Introductory essays ** 2B: The

Gammaproteobacteria Gammaproteobacteria is a class of bacteria in the phylum Pseudomonadota (synonym Proteobacteria). It contains about 250 genera, which makes it the most genera-rich taxon of the Prokaryotes. Several medically, ecologically, and scientifically imp ...

** 2C: Other classes of Proteobacteria * Volume 3 (2009): The

Firmicutes The Bacillota (synonym Firmicutes) are a phylum of bacteria, most of which have gram-positive cell wall structure. The renaming of phyla such as Firmicutes in 2021 remains controversial among microbiologists, many of whom continue to use the earl ...

* Volume 4 (2011): The Bacteroidetes,

Spirochaetes A spirochaete () or spirochete is a member of the phylum Spirochaetota (), (synonym Spirochaetes) which contains distinctive diderm (double-membrane) gram-negative bacteria, most of which have long, helically coiled (corkscrew-shaped or s ...

, Tenericutes (Mollicutes),

Acidobacteria Acidobacteriota is a phylum of Gram-negative bacteria. Its members are physiologically diverse and ubiquitous, especially in soils, but are under-represented in culture. Description Members of this phylum are physiologically diverse, and can be ...

, Fibrobacteres, Fusobacteria, Dictyoglomi,

Gemmatimonadetes The Gemmatimonadota are a phylum of bacteria established in 2003. The phylum contains two classes Gemmatimonadetes and Longimicrobia. Species The type species ''Gemmatimonas aurantiaca'' strain T-27T was isolated from activated sludge in a sew ...

Lentisphaerae Lentisphaerota is a phylum of bacteria closely related to Chlamydiota and Verrucomicrobiota. It includes two monotypic orders Lentisphaerales and Victivallales. Phylum members can be aerobic or anaerobic and fall under two distinct phenotypes ...

Verrucomicrobia Verrucomicrobiota is a phylum of Gram-negative bacteria that contains only a few described species. The species identified have been isolated from fresh water, marine and soil environments and human faeces. A number of as-yet uncultivated species ...

Chlamydiae The Chlamydiota (synonym Chlamydiae) are a bacterial phylum and class whose members are remarkably diverse, including pathogens of humans and animals, symbionts of ubiquitous protozoa, and marine sediment forms not yet well understood. All of t ...

, and

Planctomycetes The Planctomycetota are a phylum of widely distributed bacteria, occurring in both aquatic and terrestrial habitats. They play a considerable role in global carbon and nitrogen cycles, with many species of this phylum capable of anaerobic ammoni ...

* Volume 5 (in two parts) (2012): The

Actinobacteria The ''Actinomycetota'' (or ''Actinobacteria'') are a phylum of all gram-positive bacteria. They can be terrestrial or aquatic. They are of great economic importance to humans because agriculture and forests depend on their contributions to soi ...

Bergey's Manual Trust

Bergey's Manual Trust was established in 1936 to sustain the publication of ''

Bergey's Manual of Determinative Bacteriology ''Bergey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology'' is the main resource for determining the identity of prokaryotic organisms, emphasizing bacterial species, using every characterizing aspect. The manual was published subsequent to the ''Bergey's Manu ...

'' and supplementary reference works. The Trust also recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contributions to bacterial taxonomy by presentation of the Bergey Award and Bergey Medal, jointly supported by funds from the Trust and from Springer, the publishers of the Manual. Bergey's Manual Trust and John Wiley & Sons, Inc. co-publish the online encyclopedia ''

Bergey's Manual of Systematics of Archaea and Bacteria ''Bergey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology'' is the main resource for determining the identity of prokaryotic organisms, emphasizing bacterial species, using every characterizing aspect. The manual was published subsequent to the ''Bergey's Manu ...

'' (BMSAB). On 2019, the Trust decided to include phylogenomic in the BMSAB using the classification provided by the

Genome Taxonomy Database The Genome Taxonomy Database (GTDB) is an online database that maintains information on a proposed nomenclature of prokaryotes, following a phylogenomic approach based on a set of conserved single-copy proteins. In addition to breaking up paraphy ...

(GTDB).

Critical reception

The ''

Annals of Internal Medicine ''Annals of Internal Medicine'' is an academic medical journal published by the American College of Physicians (ACP). It is one of the most widely cited and influential specialty medical journals in the world. ''Annals'' publishes content releva ...

'' described the volumes as "clearly written, precise, and easy to read" and "particularly designed for those interested in taxonomy.""Bergey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology"
''Book Reviews, Notes, and Listings'',

Editions

''Bergey's Manual of Determinative Bacteriology''

* Bergey, D.H., Harrison, F.C., Breed, R.S., Hammer, B.W. & Huntoon, F.M. (eds., 1923). ''Bergey's Manual of Determinative Bacteriology'', 1st ed., The Williams & Wilkins Co, Baltimore, 442 p. * Bergey, D.H., Harrison, F.C., Breed, R.S., Hammer, B.W. & Huntoon, F.M. (eds., 1925). ''Bergey's Manual of Determinative Bacteriology'', 2nd ed., The Williams & Wilkins Co, Baltimore, 462 p. * Bergey, D.H., Harrison, F.C., Breed, R.S., Hammer, B.W. & Huntoon, F.M. (eds., 1930). ''Bergey's Manual of Determinative Bacteriology'', 3rd., The Williams and Wilkins Co., Baltimore, 589 p. * Bergey, D.H., Breed, R.S., Hammer, B.W., Huntoon, F.M., Murray, E.G.D. & Harrison, F.C. (eds., 1934). ''Bergey's Manual of Determinative Bacteriology'', 4th ed., The Williams & Wilkins Co, Baltimore. * Bergey, D.H., Breed, R.S., Murray, E.G.D. & Hitchens, A.P. (eds., 1939). ''Bergey's Manual of Determinative Bacteriology'', 5th ed., The Williams and Wilkins Co., Baltimore. * Breed, R.S., Murray, E.G.D. & Hitchens, A.P. (eds., 1948). ''Bergey's Manual of Determinative Bacteriology'', 6th ed., The Williams and Wilkins Co., Baltimore

* Breed, R.S., Murray, E.G.D. & Smith, N.R. (eds., 1957). ''Bergey's Manual of Determinative Bacteriology'', 7th ed., The Williams and Wilkins Co., Baltimore

* Buchanan, R.E. & Gibbons, N.R. (eds., 1974). ''Bergey's Manual of Determinative Bacteriology'', 8th ed., Williams & Wilkins. Baltimore. * Holt, John G. (eds., 1994). ''Bergey's Manual of Determinative Bacteriology'', 9th ed., Williams & Wilkins. Baltimore. .

''Bergey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology'', 1st ed.

* Krieg, N.R. & Holt, J.G. (eds., 1984). ''Bergey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology'', 1st ed., vol. 1, Williams and Wilkins, Baltimore. * Sneath, P.H.A., Mair, N.S., Sharpe, M.E. & Holt, J.G. (eds., 1986). ''Bergey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology'', 1st ed., vol. 2, Williams & Wilkins, Baltimore. * Staley, J.T., Bryant, M.P., Pfennig, N. & Holt, J.G. (eds., 1989). ''Bergey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology'', 1st ed., vol. 3, Williams and Wilkins, Baltimore. * Williams, S.T., Sharpe, M.E. & Holt, J.G. (eds., 1989). ''Bergey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology'', 1st ed., vol. 4, Williams and Wilkins, Baltimore.

''Bergey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology'', 2nd ed.

* Garrity, G.M., Boone, D.R. & Castenholz, R.W. (eds., 2001). ''Bergey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology'', 2nd ed., vol. 1, Springer-Verlag, New York, NY * Brenner, D.J., Krieg, N.R., Staley, J.T. & Garrity, G.M. (eds., 2005). ''Bergey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology'', 2nd ed., vol. 2, parts A, B and C, Springer-Verlag, New York, NY. * Vos, P., Garrity, G., Jones, D., Krieg, N.R., Ludwig, W., Rainey, F.A., Schleifer, K.-H. & Whitman, W.B. (eds., 2009). ''Bergey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology'', 2nd ed., vol. 3, Springer-Verlag, New York, NY. * Krieg, N.R., Ludwig, W., Whitman, W.B., Hedlund, B.P., Paster, B.J., Staley, J.T., Ward, N. & Brown, D. (eds., 2010). ''Bergey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology'', 2nd ed., vol. 4, Springer-Verlag, New York, NY. * Whitman, W.B., Goodfellow, M., Kämpfer, P., Busse, H.-J., Trujillo, M.E., Ludwig, W. & Suzuki, K.-i. (eds., 2012). ''Bergey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology'', 2nd ed., vol. 5, parts A and B, Springer-Verlag, New York, NY.

Other

* Buchanan, R.E., Holt, J.G. & Lessel Jr, E.F. (1966). ''Index Bergeyana: An Annotated Alphabetic Listing of Names of the Taxa of the Bacteria''. The Williams and Wilkins Co., Baltimore, Md. * Holt, J.G. (ed., 1977). ''The Shorter Bergey's Manual of Determinative Bacteriology'', 8th ed., The Williams and Wilkins Co., Baltimore, Md. * Gibbons, N.E., Pattee, K.B. & Holt, J.G. (eds., 1981). ''Supplement to Index Bergeyana''. The Williams and Wilkins Co., Baltimore, Md. *

References

External links

Bergey's Manual Trust Home PageBergey's Manual Identification Flow ChartsBook Information
{{Bacteria classification Bacteriology