Subcommittee on the Taxonomy of Brucella

International Committee on Systematics of Prokaryotes

Subcommittee on the Taxonomy of Brucella


Current membership Meetings Names of taxa	Back to ICSP main page
Copyright © 2008 ICSP	Last modified 15 February 2008

Michael J. Corbel (Corresponding member)


Meetings
Future meetings
Next Subcommittee meeting	The next Subcommittee meeting is planned to be held at Royal Holloway, University of London, UK, during the Brucellosis 2008 International Research Conference, 10-13 September 2008.

Past meetings
17 September 2003. Pamplona, Spain	Minutes: Osterman, B. & Moriyon, I. (2006).International Committee on Systematics of Prokaryotes Subcommittee on the taxonomy of Brucella. Minutes of the meeting, 17 September 2003, Pamplona, Spain. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 56, 1173–1175. Unanimous recommendation on a return to pre-1986 taxonomic opinion on genus Brucella, implying re-approval of the six classical Brucella nomenspecies with their biovars. The potential novel marine mammal Brucella species were discussed (with ‘Brucella cetaceae’ and ‘Brucella pinnipediae’ as proposed names). Through correspondence after the meeting, the Subcommittee membership agreed upon the Brucella type and reference strains, referring to the six classical Brucella nomenspecies, presented in the minutes.
9 September 2000. Nimes, France	Minutes: MacMillan, A. (2006). International Committee on Systematic Bacteriology. Subcommittee on the taxonomy of Brucella. Minutes of the meeting, 9 September 2000, Nimes, France. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 56, 1171. The marine mammal Brucella strains were discussed.
5 and 7 July 1994. Prague, Czechoslovakia	Minutes: Corbel, M. J. & Moriyon, I. (2006). International Committee on Systematic Bacteriology; Subcommittee on the taxonomy of Brucella: Minutes of the meeting, 5 and 7 July 1994, Prague, Czech Republic. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 56, 1169–1170. The marine mammal Brucella strains were discussed.
1991-1993. Correspondence Report (Interim Report)	Minutes: Gargani, G. & López-Merino, A. (2006). International Committee on Systematic Bacteriology; Subcommittee on the taxonomy of Brucella: Correspondence Report (Interim Report), 1991–1993. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 56, 1167–1168.
1990. Osaka, Japan	Not reported
1986. Manchester, UK	Corbel, M. J. (1988). Int J Syst Bact 38, 450-452. Recommendation on a change in taxonomic opinion on genus Brucella as being monospecific, harbouring Brucella melitensis as the single species with 18 biovars.
1982. Boston, USA	Corbel, M. J. (1984). Int J Syst Bact 34, 366-367.
1978. Munich, Germany	Corbel, M. J. (1978). Int J Syst Bact 32, 260-261. Brucella canis was recommended to be given full species status.
1974. Tokyo, Japan	Wundt W. & Brinley-Morgan, W. J. (1975). Int J Syst Bact 25, 235-236 Reprint 1977, Ann Sclavo 19, 173-176. Brucella canis was seen as a provisional species.
1970. Mexico City, Mexico	Jones, L. M. & Wundt, W. (1971). Int J Syst Bact 21, 126-128 Reprint 1977, Ann Sclavo 19, 167-172 Brucella ovis was recommended to be accepted as a new species.
1966, Moscow, Russia	Jones, L. M. (1967). Int J Syst Bact 17, 371-375 Reprint 1977, Ann Sclavo 19, 162-166 Brucella neotomae was recommended to constitute a new species.
1962. Montreal, Canada	Stableforth, A. W. & Jones, L. M. (1963). Int Bull Bact Nom Taxon 13, 145-158 Reprint 1977, Ann Sclavo 19, 151-161 Species characteristics for the three major species, Brucella melitensis, Brucella abortus and Brucella suis were defined.
1958. Stockholm, Sweden	The ICSB Subcommittee on Taxonomy of Brucella was constituted; with primary task to formulate diagnostic criteria for Brucella species, based on recommendations by the WHO Expert Committee on Brucellosis in 1953 and 1958.

The Subcommittee has taken a clear position on a return to pre-1986 Brucella taxonomic opinion; consequences of this statement imply re-approval of the six Brucella nomenspecies with recognized biovars. The classical names related to these six Brucella nomenspecies are validly published in the Approved Lists of Bacterial Names, 1980; and designated type strains are attached to these validly published names. Subcommittee discussions and decisions on the recommendation of classification, i.e. recognition of the six classical Brucella nomenspecies as being of species rank within genus Brucella, are presented in the reports and minutes of previous meetings of the Brucella Subcommittee.

Genus Brucella Meyer and Shaw 1920. Brucella melitensis (Hughes 1893) Meyer and Shaw 1920 is the nomenclatural type species of genus Brucella. Genus Brucella comprises the following nine described species:

Brucella melitensis (Hughes 1893) Meyer and Shaw 1920

Brucella abortus (Schmidt 1901) Meyer and Shaw 1920

Brucella suis Huddleson 1929

Brucella ovis Buddle 1956

Brucella neotomae Stoenner and Lackman 1957

Brucella canis Carmichael and Bruner 1968

Brucella ceti sp. nov. Cloeckaert et al., 2001; Foster et al., 2007

Brucella pinnipedialis sp. nov. Cloeckaert et al., 2001; Foster et al., 2007

Brucella microti sp. nov. (Hubalek et al. 2007) Scholz et al. 2008

Two new Brucella species were described in 2007, their names validly published. The first reports on marine mammal Brucella strains were published in 1994 (in Vet Rec by Ross, Foster, Reid, Jahans & MacMillan; in J Vet Diagn Invest by Ewalt, Payeur, Martin, Cummins & Miller). Proposed names of ‘Brucella cetaceae’ and ‘Brucella pinnipediae’ were published in Microbes Infect (2001) (Cloeckaert, Verger, Grayon, Paquet, Garin-Bastuji, Foster & Godfroid). In the validation process, the etymology has been corrected and the validly published names are Brucella ceti sp. nov. (cetaceans as preferred hosts) and Brucella pinnipedialis sp. nov (seals as preferred hosts) in Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 57, 2688-2693 Foster, Osterman, Godfroid, Jacques & Cloeckaert).

The marine mammal Brucella strains (first genus Brucella members with non-terrestrial host preference) have been discussed in the Subcommittee since their discovery in 1994. From the first report by Ross et al., discussions have focused two or three groups of the marine mammal Brucella strains; thus, Jahans, Foster and Broughton (Vet Microbiol 1997) proposed for these strains one new nomenspecies (‘Brucella maris’) with three biovars. Description of these two new species, with validly published names of Brucella ceti and Brucella pinnipedialis, leaves the doors open for description of biovars within these species (i.e. two biovars of Brucella ceti).

In early 2008, the ninth described Brucella species has been incorporated into genus Brucella; the name of Brucella microti is validly published, in Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 58, 375-382 (Scholz, Hubalek, Sedlacek, Vergnaud, Tomaso, Al Dahouk, Melzer, Kämpfer, Neubauer, Cloeckaert, Maquart, Zygmunt, Whatmore, Falsen, Bahn, Göllner, Pfeffer, Huber, Busse, Nöckler). Two strains of this novel species were isolated from clinical specimens of diseased wild common voles during an epizootic in South Moravia, Czech Republic, in 1999 (2007, Vector-Borne Zoonotic Dis, Hubalek, Scholz, Sedlacek, Melzer, Sanogo, Nesvadbova). These two strains, carefully investigated from a polyphasic taxonomic approach, with classification based on results from those advanced phenotypic and genotypic tests available today, exhibit outstanding metabolic capabilities and phenotypic behaviour with respect to other members of genus Brucella.

Validly published names, with details of type and reference strains, of taxa within the remit of this subcommittee.

Prepared by Bjorn Osterman. Updated 12 February 2008.

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International Committee on Systematics of Prokaryotes

Subcommittee on the Taxonomy of Brucella

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