Family Enterobacteriaceae
Warning: In the List of Prokaryotic names with Standing in Nomenclature, an arrow (→) only indicates the sequence of valid publication of names and does not mean that the last name in the sequence must be used (see: Introduction).
Classification (Warning: see also the file "Classification of prokaryotes: Introduction").
For a detailed description of this taxon see Bergey’s Manual of Systematics of Archaea and Bacteria (BMSAB).
Enterobacteriaceae Rahn 1937, familia.
Type genus: ¤ Escherichia Castellani and Chalmers 1919 (Approved Lists 1980).
Etymology: N.L. masc. n. Enterobacter, one genus of the family Enterobacteriaceae; suff. -iaceae (sic), ending to denote a family; N.L. fem. pl. n. Enterobacteriaceae, the Enterobacter family.
Approved Lists reference: SKERMAN (V.B.D.), McGOWAN (V.) and SNEATH (P.H.A.) (editors): Approved Lists of Bacterial Names. Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol., 1980, 30, 225-420 (Approved Lists of Bacterial Names in IJSEM Online - Approved Lists of Bacterial Names Amended edition).
Original publication: RAHN (O.): New principles for the classification of bacteria. Zentralblatt fur Bakteriologie Parasitenkunde Infektionskrankheiten und Hygiene. Abteilung II, 1937, 96, 273-286.
Note: The family name Enterobacteriaceae was omitted from the body of the Approved Lists of Bacterial Names 1980, but a footnote was inserted on page 236 indicating that the name was sub judice, referring to the proposal by Lapage. This has led to some confusion over the status of the name. The Judicial Commission has reviewed this question and concluded that the family name Enterobacteriaceae Rahn 1937 is valid and should have been incorporated in the body of the Approved Lists of Bacterial Names 1980.
References:
1 LAPAGE (S.P.): Proposal of Enterobacteraceae nom. nov. as a substitute for the illegitimate but conserved name Enterobacteriaceae Rahn 1937. Request for an opinion. Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol., 1979, 29, 265-266.
Original article in IJSEM Online
2 JUDICIAL COMMISSION OF THE INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE ON SYSTEMATIC BACTERIOLOGY: Present standing of the family name Enterobacteriaceae Rahn 1937. Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol., 1981, 31, 104.
Original article in IJSEM Online
3 WAYNE (L.G.): Actions of the Judicial Commission of the International Committee on Systematic Bacteriology on requests for opinions published between July 1979 and April 1981. Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol., 1982, 32, 464-465.
Original article in IJSEM Online
4 BRENNER (D.J.): Opposition to the proposal to replace the family name Enterobacteriaceae. Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol., 1983, 33, 892-895.
Original article in IJSEM Online
5 ICSB, SUBCOMMITTEE ON THE TAXONOMY OF THE ENTEROBACTERIACEAE: Minutes of the meeting, 6 September 1978, Munich, Federal Republic of Germany. Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol., 1984, 34, 242.
Original article in IJSEM Online
6 ICSB, SUBCOMMITTEE ON THE TAXONOMY OF THE ENTEROBACTERIACEAE: Minutes of the meeting, 10 August 1982, Boston, Massachusetts. Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol., 1984, 34, 243-244.
Original article in IJSEM Online
7 WAYNE (L.G.): Actions of the Judicial Commission of the International Committee on Systematic Bacteriology on requests for opinions published in 1982. Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol., 1984, 34, 272-273.
Original article in IJSEM Online
8 HILL (L.R.), SKERMAN (V.B.D.) and SNEATH (P.H.A.): Corrigenda to the Approved Lists of Bacterial Names edited for the International Committee on Systematic Bacteriology. Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol., 1984, 34, 508-511.
Original article in IJSEM Online
Notes:
1 According to Judicial Opinion 15 the type genus of the family Enterobacteriaceae Rahn 1937 (Approved Lists 1980) is the genus ¤ Escherichia Castellani and Chalmers 1919 (Approved Lists 1980); not the genus ¤ Enterobacter Hormaeche and Edwards 1960 (Approved Lists 1980).
Reference: LAPAGE (S.P.), SNEATH (P.H.A.), LESSEL (E.F.), SKERMAN (V.B.D.), SEELIGER (H.P.R.) and CLARK (W.A.): International code of nomenclature of bacteria (1990 revision), American Society for Microbiology, Washington, D.C., 1992, p. 93.
2 In the seventh edition of the Bergey's Manual of Determinative Bacteriology [1] and in the Bergey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology [2] the etymology is given as: N.L. n. enterobacterium an intestinal bacterium; -aceae ending to denote a family; N.L. fem. pl. n. Enterobacteriaceae the family of the enterobacteria. This etymology can explain why the name is Enterobacteriaceae (with "i") and not Enterobacteraceae (no "i"). However as Brenner writes the "Rahn's original derivation is not certain" [2]. It is interesting to note that no etymology is given in the eighth edition of the Bergey's Manual of Determinative Bacteriology [3].
References:
1 BREED (N.R.) and MURRAY (E.G.D.): Family IV. Enterobacteriaceae Rahn, 1937. In: R.S. BREED, E.G.D. MURRAY and N.R. SMITH (editors), Bergey's Manual of Determinative Bacteriology, seventh edition, 1957, The Williams & Wilkins Co, Baltimore, pp. 332-334.
2 BRENNER (D.J.): Family I. Enterobacteriaceae Rahn 1937, Nom. fam. cons. Opin. 15, Jud. Comm. 1958, 73; Ewing, Farmer, and Brenner 1980, 674; Judicial Commission 1981, 104. In: N.R. KRIEG and J.G. HOLT (editors), Bergey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology, first edition, vol. 1, The Williams & Wilkins Co, Baltimore, 1984, pp. 408-420.
3 COWAN (S.T.): Family I. Enterobacteriaceae Rahn 1937, 281 Nom. gen. cons. Opin. 15, Jud. Comm. 1958, 73. In: R.E. BUCHANAN and N.E. GIBBONS (editors), Bergey's Manual of Determinative Bacteriology, eighth edition, The Williams & Wilkins Co, Baltimore, 1974, pp. 290-293.
3 Rahn proposed the name Enterobacteriaceae before there was an International Code of Nomenclature of Bacteria, and when the first Code was written [1], this name became illegitimate because it was not in accord with several provisions of the Code [2]. However, the family name Enterobacteriaceae Rahn 1937 (Approved Lists 1980) has been placed in the list of conserved family names (nomina conservanda familiarum) by the Judicial Commission [3] and, in 1981, the Judicial Commission concluded that Enterobacteriaceae is presently valid [4].
References:
1 BUCHANAN (R.E.), JOHN-BROOKS (R.S.) and BREED (R.S.) (editors): International Bacteriological Code of Nomenclature. J. Bacteriol, 1948, 55, 287-306.
Original article Online
2 BRENNER (D.J.): Family I. Enterobacteriaceae Rahn 1937, Nom. fam. cons. Opin. 15, Jud. Comm. 1958, 73; Ewing, Farmer, and Brenner 1980, 674; Judicial Commission 1981, 104. In: N.R. KRIEG and J.G. HOLT (editors), Bergey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology, first edition, vol. 1, The Williams & Wilkins Co, Baltimore, 1984, pp. 408-420.
3 LAPAGE (S.P.), SNEATH (P.H.A.), LESSEL (E.F.), SKERMAN (V.B.D.), SEELIGER (H.P.R.) and CLARK (W.A.): International code of nomenclature of bacteria (1990 revision), American Society for Microbiology, Washington, D.C., 1992, p. 93.
4 JUDICIAL COMMISSION OF THE INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE ON SYSTEMATIC BACTERIOLOGY: Present standing of the family name Enterobacteriaceae Rahn 1937. Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol., 1981, 31, 104.
Original article in IJSEM Online
4 For more information about the taxonomic and nomenclatural problems of the family Enterobacteriaceae, see the page 419 of the excellent paper by Brenner, 1984.
Reference: BRENNER (D.J.): Family I. Enterobacteriaceae Rahn 1937, Nom. fam. cons. Opin. 15, Jud. Comm. 1958, 73; Ewing, Farmer, and Brenner 1980, 674; Judicial Commission 1981, 104. In: N.R. KRIEG and J.G. HOLT (editors), Bergey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology, first edition, vol. 1, The Williams & Wilkins Co, Baltimore, 1984, pp. 408-420.
Enterobacteriaceae (ex Rahn 1937) Ewing et al. 1980, fam. nov., nom. rev.
Type genus: ¤ Escherichia Castellani and Chalmers 1919 (Approved Lists 1980).
Synonym: "Enterobacteriaceae" Rahn 1937.
Etymology: N.L. masc. n. Enterobacter, one genus of the family Enterobacteriaceae; suff. -iaceae (sic), ending to denote a family; N.L. fem. pl. n. Enterobacteriaceae, the Enterobacter family.
Valid publication: EWING (W.H.), FARMER III (J.J.) and BRENNER (D.J.): Proposal of Enterobacteriaceae fam. nov., nom. rev. to replace Enterobacteriaceae Rahn 1937, nom. fam. cons. (Opin. 15, Jud. Comm. 1958), which lost standing in nomenclature on 1 January 1980. Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol., 1980, 30, 674-675.
Original article in IJSEM Online
Note: Enterobacteriaceae Rahn 1937 (Approved Lists 1980) has priority.