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RECENT TAXONOMIC CHANGES AMONG ANAEROBIC BACTERIA: UPDATE OF NOMENCLATURE AND LABORATORY ASPECTS.

Hannele Jousimies-Somer.
National Public Health Institute (KTL), Helsinki, Finland and VA Wadsworth Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA.

As a result of polyphasic, phylogeny oriented taxonomic approach, including l6S rPNA sequencing, major reorganizations among anaerobic taxa are underway. The gram-negative pigmented Prevotella now include 8 species, the latest inclusions being Pr.nigrescens, Pr.tannerae and Pr. pallens, all oral organisms. The nonpigmented former Mitsuokella dentalis and Hallella seregens were renamed as one species, Prevotella dentalis. The bile-sensitive, oral Pr.heparinolytica and Pr.zoogleoformans phylogenetically cluster within the B. fragilis-group. Pr. ruminicola, Pr. brevis, Pr. bryantii and Pr. albensis are recently described spccies of animal origin that were formerlv included in Pr. rumionicola. Bacieroides tectum DNA homology group II of Love, common in inifected animal bite wounds, are genotypically identical with B. pyogenes. The bile-resistant B.distasonis clusters with B.forsythus among Porphyromonas. The genus Porohyromonas currently includes 11 pigmented and one nonpigmented species; P. catoniae; several new groups are awaiting for inclusion in the genus. Fusobacterium nucleatum currently has 5 subspecies and is very heterogenous; (phylo)genetic analyses place F. periodonticum within F. nucleatum. F.varium includes F. pseudonecrophorum.The bile-sensitive, former B. gracilis now are Campylobacter gracilis; the bile-resistant variants belong to a new genus Sutterella as S. wadsworthiensis. A new catalase-positive species Campylobacter showae stems from oral samples.Capnocytophaga hemolytica, C. granulosa and Leptoitrichia sanquinegens are new species among the capnophilic taxa. Desulfovibrio fairfieldensis is a new species among the Desulfo-vibrio (motile), that phylogenetically cluster close to the genus Desulfo-monas(nonmotile). Anaerobiospirillum thomasii is a recently described spiral, motile organism.
The new Actinomyces species include two subspecies of A. neuii, A. radingae -A. turicensis complex, A. europaeus, A.slackii, and A. graevenitzii. A. pyogenes and A. bernardiae were recently transferred to the genus Arcanobacterium. Actinontyces suis and Actinomyces-like organisms from human origin were reclassified to a new genus Actinobaculum.The genus Eubacterium sensu stricto is represented by E.limosum and the former E.alactolyticum was reclassified in a new genus Pseudoramibacter as P. alactolyticus. Recent entries include E. saphenum, E. minutum, E. exiguum, E. infirmum and E. tardum. A new genus, Atopobium houses some former lactobacilli and streptococci. Holdemania filiformis, a Eubacterium-like bacterium from human fecal flora, represents a new genus and species. The genus Peptostreptococcus also have 3 new species; P. harei, P. ivorii and P. octavius.