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 (; less commonly spelled procaryote) is a single-celled organism whose cell lacks a nucleus and other membrane-bound organelles. The word ''prokaryote'' comes from the Ancient Greek (), meaning 'before', and (), meaning 'nut' ...

, 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) or Prokaryotic Code, 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 ...

, 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 organisms.George M. Garrity: ''Bergey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology ''Bergey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology'' is the main resource for determining t ...

, Vibrionaceae'' and related organisms *Genera ''

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

'' 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 ce ...

'' *''

Bacillus ''Bacillus'', from Latin "bacillus", meaning "little staff, wand", 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-sh ...

'' 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 mamma ...

'', ''

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 div ...

'' and related organisms *Genus ''

Brucella ''Brucella'' is a genus of Gram-negative bacterium, bacteria, named after David Bruce (microbiologist), David Bruce (1855–1931). They are small (0.5 to 0.7 by 0.6 to 1.5 μm), non-Bacterial capsule, encapsulated, non-motile, facultatively ...

''; ''

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

'', ''

Ralstonia ''Ralstonia'' is a genus of bacteria, previously included in the genus ''Pseudomonas ''Pseudomonas'' is a genus of Gram-negative bacteria belonging to the family Pseudomonadaceae in the class Gammaproteobacteria. The 348 members of the genu ...

'' and related organisms *''

Campylobacter ''Campylobacter'' is a type of bacteria that can cause a diarrheal disease in people. Its name means "curved bacteria", as the germ typically appears in a comma or "s" shape. According to its scientific classification, it is a genus of gram-negat ...

'' 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 ...

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 includes over 30 genera and more than 100 species. Its classification above the level of Family (taxonomy), family is still a subject of debate, but one class ...

'' *''

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.Home - Cytophaga hutchinsonii ATCC 33406. (n.d.). Retrieved May 02, 2017, from http://genom ...

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

Halobacteriaceae Halobacteriaceae is a family in the order Halobacteriales and the domain Archaea. ''Halobacteriaceae'' represent a large part of halophilic Archaea, along with members in two other methanogenic families, ''Methanosarcinaceae'' and ''Methanocalcul ...

'' *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 mar ...

'' *Genus ''

Leptospira ''Leptospira'' () is a genus of spirochaete bacteria, including a small number of pathogenic and saprophytic species. ''Leptospira'' was first observed in 1907 in kidney tissue slices of a leptospirosis victim who was described as having died ...

'' *Genus ''

Listeria ''Listeria'' is a genus of bacteria that acts as an intracellular parasite in mammals. As of 2024, 28 species have been identified. The genus is named in honour of the British pioneer of sterile surgery Joseph Lister. ''Listeria'' species ...

'' *

Methanogen Methanogens are anaerobic archaea that produce methane as a byproduct of their energy metabolism, i.e., catabolism. Methane production, or methanogenesis, is the only biochemical pathway for Adenosine triphosphate, ATP generation in methanogens. A ...

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 (LPSN) and National Center for Biotechnology Information ( ...

'' *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. Phylogeny The currently accepted taxonomy is based on the List of Prokaryotic names with S ...

'', '' Streptosporangiaceae'' and '' Thermomonosporaceae'' *Class ''

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

'' *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 (''Mycobacterium tuberculo ...

'' *''

Nocardia ''Nocardia'' is a genus of weakly staining Gram-positive, catalase, catalase-positive, rod-shaped bacteria. It forms partially acid-fast beaded branching filaments (appearing similar to fungi, but being truly bacteria). It contains a total of 8 ...

'' 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 bacteria belonging to the family Pseudomonadaceae in the class Gammaproteobacteria. The 348 members of the genus demonstrate a great deal of metabolic diversity and consequently are able to colonize a ...

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

'' 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 co ...

'' *''

Staphylococci ''Staphylococcus'', from Ancient Greek σταφυλή (''staphulḗ''), meaning "bunch of grapes", and (''kókkos''), meaning "kernel" or " Kermes", is a genus of Gram-positive bacteria in the family Staphylococcaceae from the order Bacillale ...

'' and ''

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

'' *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) or Prokaryotic Code, 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 ...

(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

External links

List of Prokaryotic Names with Standing in Nomenclature

Search of Prokaryotic Nomenclature provided by NamesforLife
{{Authority control Taxonomy (biology) organizations Bacteriology Prokaryote taxonomy