The International Committee on Systematics of Prokaryotes (ICSP), formerly the International Committee on Systematic Bacteriology (ICSB), is the body that oversees the nomenclature of

prokaryotes A prokaryote () is a single-celled organism that lacks a nucleus and other membrane-bound organelles. The word ''prokaryote'' comes from the Greek πρό (, 'before') and κάρυον (, 'nut' or 'kernel').Campbell, N. "Biology:Concepts & Connec ...

, determines the rules by which prokaryotes are named and whose Judicial Commission issues Opinions concerning taxonomic matters, revisions to the

Bacteriological Code The International Code of Nomenclature of Prokaryotes (ICNP) formerly the International Code of Nomenclature of Bacteria (ICNB) or Bacteriological Code (BC) governs the scientific names for Bacteria and Archaea.P. H. A. Sneath, 2003. A short histor ...

, etc.

Composition

The ICSP consists of an executive board, the members of a decision-making committee (judicial commission) and members elected from member societies of the

International Union of Microbiological Societies The International Union of Microbiological Societies (IUMS), founded in 1927 as the International Society of Microbiology, is one of 40 member unions and associations of the International Science Council (ISC), and was formerly under ISC's pred ...

(IUMS). In addition, the ICSP has a number of subcommittees dealing with issues regarding the nomenclature and taxonomy of specific groups of prokaryotes.

Subcommittees

The ICSP has a number of subcommittees dealing with issues regarding the nomenclature and taxonomy of specific groups of prokaryotes. These include the following: *''

Aeromonadaceae The Aeromonadaceae are Gram-negative bacteria. The species are facultative anaerobic organism An anaerobic organism or anaerobe is any organism that does not require molecular oxygen for growth. It may react negatively or even die if free oxyge ...

Vibrionaceae The Vibrionaceae are a family of Pseudomonadota given their own order, Vibrionales. Inhabitants of fresh or salt water, several species are pathogenic, including the type species ''Vibrio cholerae'', which is the agent responsible for cholera. ...

'' and related organisms *Genera ''

Agrobacterium ''Agrobacterium'' is a genus of Gram-negative bacteria established by H. J. Conn that uses horizontal gene transfer to cause tumors in plants. '' Agrobacterium tumefaciens'' is the most commonly studied species in this genus. ''Agrobacterium'' i ...

'' and ''

Rhizobium ''Rhizobium'' is a genus of Gram-negative soil bacteria that fix nitrogen. ''Rhizobium'' species form an endosymbiotic nitrogen-fixing association with roots of (primarily) legumes and other flowering plants. The bacteria colonize plant cells ...

'' *''

Bacillus ''Bacillus'' (Latin "stick") is a genus of Gram-positive, rod-shaped bacteria, a member of the phylum ''Bacillota'', with 266 named species. The term is also used to describe the shape (rod) of other so-shaped bacteria; and the plural ''Bacilli ...

'' and related organisms *''

Bifidobacterium ''Bifidobacterium'' is a genus of gram-positive, nonmotile, often branched anaerobic bacteria. They are ubiquitous inhabitants of the gastrointestinal tract though strains have been isolated from the vagina and mouth ('' B. dentium'') of mammal ...

'', ''

Lactobacillus ''Lactobacillus'' is a genus of Gram-positive, aerotolerant anaerobes or microaerophilic, rod-shaped, non-spore-forming bacteria. Until 2020, the genus ''Lactobacillus'' comprised over 260 phylogenetically, ecologically, and metabolically diver ...

'' and related organisms *Genus ''

Brucella ''Brucella'' is a genus of Gram-negative bacteria, named after David Bruce (1855–1931). They are small (0.5 to 0.7 by 0.6 to 1.5 µm), non encapsulated, non motile, facultatively intracellular coccobacilli. ''Brucella'' spp. are the caus ...

''; ''

Burkholderia ''Burkholderia'' is a genus of Pseudomonadota whose pathogenic members include the ''Burkholderia cepacia'' complex, which attacks humans and ''Burkholderia mallei'', responsible for glanders, a disease that occurs mostly in horses and related a ...

'', ''

Ralstonia ''Ralstonia'' is a genus of bacteria, previously included in the genus ''Pseudomonas ''Pseudomonas'' is a genus of Gram-negative, Gammaproteobacteria, belonging to the family Pseudomonadaceae and containing 191 described species. The members ...

'' and related organisms *'' Campylobacter'' and related bacteria *

Clostridia The Clostridia are a highly polyphyletic class of Bacillota, including '' Clostridium'' and other similar genera. They are distinguished from the Bacilli by lacking aerobic respiration. They are obligate anaerobes and oxygen is toxic to them. Sp ...

and ''Clostridium''-like organisms *''

Comamonadaceae The Comamonadaceae are a family of the Betaproteobacteria.Willems A., J. De Ley, M. Gillis, and K. Kersters. ''Comamonadaceae, a New Family Encompassing the Acidovorans rRNA Complex, Including Variovorax paradoxus gen. nov.,comb. nov. for Alcali ...

'' and related organisms *Family ''

Enterobacteriaceae Enterobacteriaceae is a large family (biology), family of Gram-negative bacteria. It was first proposed by Rahn in 1936, and now includes over 30 genera and more than 100 species. Its classification above the level of family is still a subject ...

Flavobacterium ''Flavobacterium'' is a genus of Gram-negative, nonmotile and motile, rod-shaped bacteria that consists of 130 recognized species. Flavobacteria are found in soil and fresh water in a variety of environments. Several species are known to cause ...

''- and ''

Cytophaga ''Cytophaga'' is a genus of Gram-negative, gliding, rod-shaped bacteria. This bacterium is commonly found in soil, rapidly digests crystalline cellulose ''C. hutchinsonii'' is able to use its gliding motility to move quickly over surfaces. A ...

''-like bacteria *Gram-negative anaerobic rods *Family '' Halobacteriaceae'' *Family ''

Halomonadaceae Halomonadaceae is a family of halophilic Pseudomonadota. History The family was originally described in 1988 to contain the genera ''Halomonas'' and ''Deleya''. In 1989, ''Chromobacterium marismortui'' was reclassified as ''Chromohalobacter m ...

'' *Genus ''

Leptospira ''Leptospira'' ( grc, leptos, italics=yes, 'fine, thin' and la, spira, links=no, 'coil') is a genus of spirochaete bacteria, including a small number of pathogenic and saprophytic species. ''Leptospira'' was first observed in 1907 in kidney t ...

'' *Genus ''

Listeria ''Listeria'' is a genus of bacteria that acts as an intracellular parasite in mammals. Until 1992, 17 species were known, each containing two subspecies. By 2020, 21 species had been identified. The genus is named in honour of the British pi ...

'' *

Methanogen Methanogens are microorganisms that produce methane as a metabolic byproduct in hypoxic conditions. They are prokaryotic and belong to the domain Archaea. All known methanogens are members of the archaeal phylum Euryarchaeota. Methanogens are com ...

s *Suborder ''

Micrococcineae The Micrococcales are an order of bacteria in the phylum Actinomycetota. Phylogeny The currently accepted taxonomy is based on the List of Prokaryotic names with Standing in Nomenclature List of Prokaryotic names with Standing in Nomenclature ...

'' *Families ''

Micromonosporaceae Micromonosporaceae is a family of bacteria of the class '' Actinomycetia''. They are gram-positive, spore-forming soil organisms that form a true mycelium. Genera Micromonosporaceae comprises the following genera: * ''Actinocatenispora'' Thaw ...

'', ''

Streptosporangiaceae The ''Streptosporangiaceae'' are a family of bacteria Bacteria (; singular: bacterium) are ubiquitous, mostly free-living organisms often consisting of one biological cell. They constitute a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms ...

'' and ''

Thermomonosporaceae ''Thermomonosporaceae'' represents a Family of bacteria that share similar genotypic and phenotypic characteristics. The Family ''Thermomonosporaceae'' includes aerobic, Gram-positive, non-acid-fast, chemo-organotrophic Actinomycetota. They prod ...

'' *Class ''

Mollicutes Mollicutes is a class of bacteria distinguished by the absence of a cell wall. The word "Mollicutes" is derived from the Latin ''mollis'' (meaning "soft" or "pliable"), and ''cutis'' (meaning "skin"). Individuals are very small, typically only 0. ...

'' *Genus ''

Mycobacterium ''Mycobacterium'' is a genus of over 190 species in the phylum Actinomycetota, assigned its own family, Mycobacteriaceae. This genus includes pathogens known to cause serious diseases in mammals, including tuberculosis ('' M. tuberculosis'') and ...

'' *''

Nocardia ''Nocardia'' is a genus of weakly staining Gram-positive, catalase-positive, rod-shaped bacteria. It forms partially acid-fast beaded branching filaments (acting as fungi, but being truly bacteria). It contains a total of 85 species. Some spec ...

'' and related organisms *Family ''

Pasteurellaceae The Pasteurellaceae comprise a large family of Gram-negative bacteria. Most members live as commensals on mucosal surfaces of birds and mammals, especially in the upper respiratory tract. Pasteurellaceae are typically rod-shaped, and are a notabl ...

'' *Photosynthetic prokaryotes *''

Pseudomonas ''Pseudomonas'' is a genus of Gram-negative, Gammaproteobacteria, belonging to the family Pseudomonadaceae and containing 191 described species. The members of the genus demonstrate a great deal of metabolic diversity and consequently are able ...

Xanthomonas ''Xanthomonas'' (from greek: ''xanthos'' – “yellow”; ''monas'' – “entity”) is a genus of bacteria, many of which cause plant diseases. There are at least 27 plant associated ''Xanthomonas spp.'', that all together infect at least 400 ...

'' and related organisms *Suborder ''

Pseudonocardineae The Pseudonocardiaceae are a family of bacteria in the order Actinomycetales and the only member of the suborder Pseudonocardineae. Genomics The species within the family Pseudonocardiaceae form a distinct clade in phylogenetic trees based on ...

'' *''

Staphylococci ''Staphylococcus'' is a genus of Gram-positive bacteria in the family Staphylococcaceae from the order Bacillales. Under the microscope, they appear spherical ( cocci), and form in grape-like clusters. ''Staphylococcus'' species are facultati ...

'' and ''

streptococci ''Streptococcus'' is a genus of gram-positive ' (plural ) or spherical bacteria that belongs to the family Streptococcaceae, within the order Lactobacillales (lactic acid bacteria), in the phylum Bacillota. Cell division in streptococci occurs ...

'' *Family '' Streptomycetaceae''

Publications

The ICSP is also integral to the production of the publication of the

International Code of Nomenclature of Bacteria The International Code of Nomenclature of Prokaryotes (ICNP) formerly the International Code of Nomenclature of Bacteria (ICNB) or Bacteriological Code (BC) governs the scientific names for Bacteria and Archaea.P. H. A. Sneath, 2003. A short histor ...

(the Bacteriological Code) and the

International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology The ''International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology'' is a peer-reviewed scientific journal covering research in the field of microbial systematics that was established in 1951. Its scope covers the taxonomy, nomenclature, iden ...

(IJSEM) (formerly the International Journal of Systematic Bacteriology, IJSB). IUMS has now agreed to transfer copyright of future versions of the

(to be renamed the International Code of Nomenclature of Prokaryotes) to the ICSP.

References

{{Authority control Taxonomy (biology) organizations Bacteriology Prokaryote taxonomy