Genus Leptospira

Name: Leptospira Noguchi 1917 (Approved Lists 1980)

Category, proposed as: genus, gen. nov.

Etymology: Lep.to.spi’ra. Gr. masc. adj. leptos, thin, narrow, fine; Gr. fem. n. speîra, a coil, helix; N.L. fem. n. Leptospira, a thin helix or coil, referring to the morphology of the bacterium

Gender, pronunciation (Latin): feminine (stem: Leptospir-), lep-to-SPI-ra

Type species: Leptospira interrogans (Stimson 1907) Wenyon 1926 (Approved Lists 1980)

Conduct genome-based taxonomy of genus at TYGS

16S rRNA gene: Analyse FASTA

Effective publication: Noguchi H. SPIROCHAETA ICTEROHAEMORRHAGIAE IN AMERICAN WILD RATS AND ITS RELATION TO THE JAPANESE AND EUROPEAN STRAINS : FIRST PAPER. J Exp Med 1917; 25:755-763.

IJSEM list: Skerman VBD, McGowan V, Sneath PHA. Approved lists of bacterial names. Int J Syst Bacteriol 1980; 30:225-420.

Nomenclatural status: validly published under the ICNP

Taxonomic status: correct name

Risk group: 2

• Emendations:
  • Faine and Stallman 1982 Faine S, Stallman ND. Amended descriptions of the genus Leptospira Noguchi 1917 and the species L. interrogans (Stimson 1907) Wenyon 1926 and L. biflexa (Wolbach and Binger 1914) Noguchi 1918. Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol. 1982; 32:461-463.

• Notes:
  • 🥇 Nomenclatural type of the class Leptospiria Chuvochina et al. 2024. Publication: Chuvochina M, Mussig AJ, Chaumeil PA, Skarshewski A, Rinke C, Parks DH, Hugenholtz P. Proposal of names for 329 higher rank taxa defined in the Genome Taxonomy Database under two prokaryotic codes. FEMS Microbiol Lett 2023; 0:0. 🇦🇺
  • 🥇 Nomenclatural type of the family Leptospiraceae Hovind-Hougen 1979 (Approved Lists 1980). Publication: Hovind-Hougen K. Leptospiraceae, a new family to Include Leptospira Noguchi 1917 and Leptonema gen. Nov. International Journal of Systematic Bacteriology 1979; 29:245-251.
  • 🥇 Nomenclatural type of the order "Leptospiriales" Gupta et al. 2013. Publication: Gupta RS, Mahmood S, Adeolu M. A phylogenomic and molecular signature based approach for characterization of the phylum Spirochaetes and its major clades: proposal for a taxonomic revision of the phylum. Front Microbiol 2013; 4:217. 🇨🇦
  • 🥇 Nomenclatural type of the order Leptospirales Gupta et al. 2014. Publication: Gupta RS, Mahmood S, Adeolu M. Erratum: A phylogenomic and molecular signature based approach for characterization of the Phylum Spirochaetes and its major clades: proposal for a taxonomic revision of the phylum. Front Microbiol 2013; 4:322. 🇨🇦
  • 🥇 Nomenclatural type of the order "Leptospirales" corrig. Gupta et al. 2013. Publication: Gupta RS, Mahmood S, Adeolu M. A phylogenomic and molecular signature based approach for characterization of the phylum Spirochaetes and its major clades: proposal for a taxonomic revision of the phylum. Front Microbiol 2013; 4:217. 🇨🇦
  • 🧕 Bergey et al. (1923) assigned this genus to the family Spirochaetaceae Swellengrebel 1907 (Approved Lists 1980). Publication: Bergey DH, Harrison FC, Breed RS, Hammer BW, Huntoon FM. Bergey's Manual of Determinative Bacteriology, 1st ed. The Williams and Wilkins Co., Baltimore, 1923.
  • 🧕 Breed et al. (1948) assigned this genus to the family Treponemataceae Robinson 1948 (Approved Lists 1980). Publication: Robinson GH. Family II. Treponemataceae Schaudinn. In: Breed RS, Murray EGD, Hitchens AP (eds), Bergey’s Manual of Determinative Bacteriology, 6th ed., The Williams and Wilkins Co., Baltimore, 1948, p. 1051-1058.
  • 🧕 Breed et al. (1957) assigned this genus to the family Treponemataceae Robinson 1948 (Approved Lists 1980). Publication: Parker CD. Genus V. Thiobacillus Beijerinck 1904. In: Breed RS, Murray EGD, Smith NR (eds), Bergey's Manual of Determinative Bacteriology, 7th edition, The Williams & Wilkins Co, Baltimore, 1957, p. 83-88.
  • 🧕 Cavalier-Smith (1981) assigned this genus to the subkingdom "Eubacteria" Cavalier-Smith 1981. Publication: Cavalier-Smith T. Eukaryote kingdoms: seven or nine? Biosystems 1981; 14:461-481.
  • 🧕 Cavalier-Smith (1998) assigned this genus to the subphylum "Leptospirae" Cavalier-Smith 1998. Publication: Cavalier-Smith T. A revised six-kingdom system of life. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 1998; 73:203-266. 🇬🇧
  • 🧕 Chuvochina et al. (2023) assigned this genus to the class Leptospiria Chuvochina et al. 2024. Publication: Chuvochina M, Mussig AJ, Chaumeil PA, Skarshewski A, Rinke C, Parks DH, Hugenholtz P. Proposal of names for 329 higher rank taxa defined in the Genome Taxonomy Database under two prokaryotic codes. FEMS Microbiol Lett 2023; 0:0. 🇦🇺
  • 🧕 Gupta et al. (2013) assigned this genus to the order Leptospirales Gupta et al. 2014. Publication: Gupta RS, Mahmood S, Adeolu M. Erratum: A phylogenomic and molecular signature based approach for characterization of the Phylum Spirochaetes and its major clades: proposal for a taxonomic revision of the phylum. Front Microbiol 2013; 4:322. 🇨🇦
  • 🚋 The type species of this genus has alternatively been placed in the genus Spirochaeta Ehrenberg 1835 (Approved Lists 1980). Publication: Stimson AM. Note on an organism found in yellow-fever tissue. Public Health Report 1907; 22:541.
  • 🙄 This taxon name is occasionally misprinted (or affected by an OCR error) in some sources as: "Laptospira"; "Lcplospira"; "Lcptospira"; "Lemospira"; "Lepcospira"; "Lepfospira"; "Lepiospira"; "Leplospira"; "Lepmspira"; "Leprospira"; "Leptaspira"; "Leptoapira"; "Leptopsira"; "Leptospfra"; "Leptospia"; "Leptospiva"; "Leptosptra"; "Leptospua"; "Leptoxpira"; "Lepwspira"; "Lepzospira"; "Lestospira".
  • 🧔 This taxon was discussed in a meeting of a Taxonomic Subcommittee of the ICSP. Publication: Levett PN, Picardeau M. International Committee on Systematics of Prokaryotes Subcommittee on the Taxonomy of Leptospiraceae. Minutes of the closed meeting, 28 November 2017, Palmerston North, New Zealand. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2018; 68:3362. 🇨🇦
  • 🧔 This taxon was discussed in a meeting of a Taxonomic Subcommittee of the ICSP. Publication: Picardeau M. International Committee on Systematics of Prokaryotes Subcommittee on the taxonomy of Leptospiraceae. Minutes of the closed meeting, 14 November 2022, Bangkok, Thailand. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2023; 73:6131. 🇫🇷
  • 🧔 This taxon was discussed in a meeting of a Taxonomic Subcommittee of the ICSP. Publication: Marshall R. INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE ON SYSTEMATIC BACTERIOLOGY, SUBCOMMITTEE ON THE TAXONOMY OF LEPTOSPIRA: Minutes of the meetings, 13 and 15 September 1990, Osaka, Japan. Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol. 1992; 42:330-334.
  • 🧔 This taxon was discussed in a meeting of a Taxonomic Subcommittee of the ICSP. Publication: Levett PN, Picardeau M. International Committee on Systematics of ProkaryotesSubcommittee on the taxonomy of LeptospiraceaeMinutes of the closed meeting, 8 October 2015, Semarang, Indonesia. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2016; 66:523. 🇨🇦
  • 🧔 This taxon was discussed in a meeting of a Taxonomic Subcommittee of the ICSP. Publication: Levett PN, Smythe L. International Committee on Systematics of Prokaryotes; Subcommittee on the taxonomy of Leptospiraceae. International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology 2006; 56:2019-2020. 🇨🇦
  • 🧔 This taxon was discussed in a meeting of a Taxonomic Subcommittee of the ICSP. Publication: Levett PN, Picardeau M. International Committee on Systematics of Prokaryotes Subcommittee on the taxonomy of Leptospiraceae Minutes of the closed meeting, 10 July 2019, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2021; 71:5002. 🇨🇦
  • 💁 Taxonomists who have recently focused on this group are the corresponding authors of Vincent et al. (2019), Slack et al. (2009), Smythe et al. (2013), Brenner et al. (1999). Editors in search of reviewers are advised to consider additional criteria such as whether a taxon is covered by one of the ICSP subcommittees.
  • 🎰 The BRCs most frequently used for deposits in this group are: KIT: 53; DSM: 50; CIP: 50; ATCC: 21; JCM: 8; CLEP: 2; WHO: 2; NCTC: 1.
  • 😷 The risk group for Belgium has been imported on 2024-02-05. The full classification is: risk group = 2, note = "genomosp. 2: 2 human and animal pathogen - human risk group: 2 - animal risk group: 3 - biological class of risk animal: 3". — The risk group for Canada has been imported on 2024-02-27. The full classification is: risk group = 2, note = "Animal classification RG: 2 - Security sensitive biological agent: No - Terrestrial animal pathogen under Canadian Food Inspection Agency authority: No - Containment level: Containment Level 2". — If in doubt, use the risk group given in the regulations for your country and, if these are not available, use the risk group given in the catalogue of the culture collection from which you have obtained or intend to obtain the strain.
  • 💥 This name is a homonym of Leptospira Swainson, 1840 (zoological); Leptospira Boucot, Johnson and Staton, 1964 (zoological) [from Catalogue of Life].
  • 🧍 Pittman et al. (1991) suggested the abbreviation "LPSP" for this genus name but this does not appear to be of practical relevance any longer. Publication: Pittman KF, Walczak CA, Lock CM. Codes and abbreviations for approved of effectively published names of genera of bacteria published from January 1980 to December 1990. Int J Syst Bacteriol 1991; 41:571-579.
  • 🧍 See also Mochmann and Kmety (1984). Publication: Mochmann H, Kmety E. [A type strain or a neotype strain of Leptospira]. Zentralbl Bakteriol Mikrobiol Hyg A 1984; 257:73-82.

Subdivision:

Number of child taxa with a validly published and correct name: 73
Number of child taxa with a validly published name, including synonyms: 76
Total number of child taxa: 97

• Child taxa:

  • Name	Nomenclatural status	Taxonomic status
    Leptospira abararensis Korba et al. 2021	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    Leptospira adleri Thibeaux et al. 2020	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    Leptospira ainazelensis Korba et al. 2021	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    Leptospira ainlahdjerensis Korba et al. 2021	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    Leptospira alexanderi Brenner et al. 1999	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    Leptospira alstonii Smythe et al. 2013	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    "Leptospira andamana" Collier 1948	not validly published	preferred name
    Leptospira andrefontaineae Vincent et al. 2020	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    Leptospira bandrabouensis Vincent et al. 2020	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    Leptospira barantonii Thibeaux et al. 2020	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    "Leptospira benjamini" Collier 1948	not validly published	preferred name
    Leptospira biflexa (Wolbach and Binger 1914) Noguchi 1918 (Approved Lists 1980)	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    Leptospira borgpetersenii Yasuda et al. 1987	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    Leptospira bourretii Vincent et al. 2020	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    Leptospira bouyouniensis Vincent et al. 2020	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    Leptospira brenneri Thibeaux et al. 2020	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    "Leptospira brihuegai" Grune Loffler et al. 2015	not validly published	preferred name
    Leptospira broomii Levett et al. 2006	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    Leptospira chreensis Korba et al. 2021	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    Leptospira cinconiae Hamond et al. 2025	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    Leptospira congkakensis Vincent et al. 2020	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    "Leptospira djasimani" Collier 1948	not validly published	preferred name
    Leptospira dzianensis Vincent et al. 2020	validly published under the ICNP	synonym
    Leptospira dzoumogneensis Vincent et al. 2020	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    Leptospira ellinghausenii Masuzawa et al. 2019	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    "Leptospira ellinghausenii" Vincent et al. 2019	not validly published	synonym
    Leptospira ellisii Thibeaux et al. 2020	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    Leptospira fainei Perolat et al. 1998	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    Leptospira fletcheri Vincent et al. 2020	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    "Leptospira fluminis" Vincent et al. 2019	not validly published	preferred name
    Leptospira gomenensis Vincent et al. 2020	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    Leptospira gorisiae Hamond et al. 2025	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    "Leptospira grippotyphosa" Collier 1948	not validly published	preferred name
    Leptospira haakeii Thibeaux et al. 2020	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    "Leptospira hardjobovis" Srinivas et al. 2013	not validly published	preferred name
    Leptospira harrisiae Thibeaux et al. 2020	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    Leptospira hartskeerlii Thibeaux et al. 2020	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    "Leptospira icteroides" Noguchi 1919	not validly published	preferred name
    Leptospira idonii Saito et al. 2013	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    "Leptospira illini" Tripathy and Hanson 1972	not validly published	preferred name
    Leptospira ilyithenensis Vincent et al. 2020	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    Leptospira inadai Yasuda et al. 1987	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    Leptospira interrogans (Stimson 1907) Wenyon 1926 (Approved Lists 1980)	validly published under the ICNP, lectotype	correct name
    Leptospira iowaensis Hamond et al. 2025	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    Leptospira jelokensis Vincent et al. 2020	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    "Leptospira johnsonii" Vincent et al. 2019	not validly published	synonym
    Leptospira johnsonii Masuzawa et al. 2019	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    Leptospira kanakyensis Vincent et al. 2020	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    "Leptospira kebleri" Collier 1948	not validly published	preferred name
    Leptospira kemamanensis Vincent et al. 2020	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    Leptospira kirschneri Ramadass et al. 1992	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    Leptospira kmetyi Slack et al. 2009	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    Leptospira kobayashii Vincent et al. 2020	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    Leptospira koniamboensis Vincent et al. 2020	inaccurate spelling	misspelling
    Leptospira koniambonensis corrig. Vincent et al. 2020	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    Leptospira langatensis Vincent et al. 2020	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    Leptospira levettii Thibeaux et al. 2020	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    Leptospira licerasiae Matthias et al. 2009	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    "Leptospira macculloughii" Thibeaux et al. 2018	not validly published	preferred name
    Leptospira mayottensis Bourhy et al. 2014	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    Leptospira meyeri Yasuda et al. 1987	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    Leptospira mgodei Hamond et al. 2025	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    Leptospira milleri Hamond et al. 2025	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    Leptospira montravelensis Vincent et al. 2020	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    Leptospira mtsangambouensis Vincent et al. 2020	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    "Leptospira naami" Collier 1948	not validly published	preferred name
    Leptospira neocaledonica Thibeaux et al. 2020	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    Leptospira noguchii Yasuda et al. 1987	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    Leptospira noumeaensis Vincent et al. 2020	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    Leptospira ognonensis Vincent et al. 2020	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    Leptospira parva Hovind-Hougen et al. 1982	validly published under the ICNP	synonym
    Leptospira perdikensis Vincent et al. 2020	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    Leptospira perolatii Thibeaux et al. 2020	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    Leptospira putramalaysiae Vincent et al. 2020	validly published under the ICNP	synonym
    "Leptospira ryugenii" Vincent et al. 2019	not validly published	synonym
    Leptospira ryugenii Masuzawa et al. 2019	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    Leptospira saintgironsiae Thibeaux et al. 2020	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    Leptospira sanjuanensis Fernandes et al. 2022	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    Leptospira santarosai Yasuda et al. 1987	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    Leptospira sarikeiensis Vincent et al. 2020	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    "Leptospira sarmini" Collier 1948	not validly published	preferred name
    Leptospira selangorensis Vincent et al. 2020	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    "Leptospira semaranga" Collier 1948	not validly published	preferred name
    Leptospira semungkisensis Vincent et al. 2020	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    "Leptospira sentoti" Collier 1948	not validly published	preferred name
    Leptospira stimsonii Casanovas-Massana et al. 2020	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    Leptospira terpstrae Smythe et al. 2013	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    Leptospira tipperaryensis Vincent et al. 2020	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    Leptospira vanthielii Smythe et al. 2013	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    "Leptospira vauceli" Collier 1948	not validly published	preferred name
    Leptospira venezuelensis Puche et al. 2018	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    Leptospira weilii Yasuda et al. 1987	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    Leptospira wolbachii Yasuda et al. 1987	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    "Leptospira wolffi" Collier 1948	not validly published	preferred name
    Leptospira wolffii Slack et al. 2008	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    Leptospira yanagawae Smythe et al. 2013	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    Leptospira yasudae Casanovas-Massana et al. 2020	validly published under the ICNP	correct name

Parent taxon: Leptospiraceae Hovind-Hougen 1979 (Approved Lists 1980)

Assigned by: Hovind-Hougen K. Leptospiraceae, a new family to include Leptospira Noguchi 1917 and Leptonema gen. nov. Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol. 1979; 29:245-251.

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Record number: 517268