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Genus Mycobacterium

Name: Mycobacterium Lehmann and Neumann 1896 (Approved Lists 1980)

Category, proposed as: genus, gen. nov.

Etymology: My.co.bac.te’ri.um. Gr. masc. n. mykês (gen. mykêtos), a mushroom, fungus; N.L. neut. n. bacterium, a rod; N.L. neut. n. Mycobacterium, a fungus rodlet

Gender, pronunciation (Latin): neuter (stem: Mycobacteri-), my-ko-bak-TE-ri-um

Type species: Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Zopf 1883) Lehmann and Neumann 1896 (Approved Lists 1980)

16S rRNA gene: Analysetree FASTA download

Effective publication: Lehmann KB, Neumann R. Atlas und Grundriss der Bakteriologie und Lehrbuch der speziellen bakteriologischen Diagnostik. Teil 2: Text, 1st ed. J.F. Lehmann, München, 1896.

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: 3

  • Emendations:
    • Gupta et al. 2018 Gupta RS, Lo B, Son J. Phylogenomics and Comparative Genomic Studies Robustly Support Division of the Genus Mycobacterium into an Emended Genus Mycobacterium and Four Novel Genera. Front Microbiol 2018; 9:67. 🇨🇦 Oren A, Garrity GM. List of changes in taxonomic opinion no. 28. Notification of changes in taxonomic opinion previously published outside the IJSEM. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2018; 68:2137-2138.
      Notes:
      • ⊖ Emendation accompanied by the removal of 106 species from the genus.
    • Meehan et al. 2021 Meehan CJ, Barco RA, Loh YE, Cogneau S, Rigouts L. Reconstituting the genus Mycobacterium. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2021; 71:4922. 🇬🇧 Oren A, Garrity GM. Notification list. Notification that new names and new combinations have appeared in volume 71, part 9 of the IJSEM. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2021; 71:5130.
    • Val-Calvo and Vázquez-Boland 2023 Val-Calvo J, Vazquez-Boland JA. Mycobacteriales taxonomy using network analysis-aided, context-uniform phylogenomic approach for non-subjective genus demarcation. mBio 2023; 14:e0220723. 🇬🇧 Oren A, Göker M. List of changes in taxonomic opinion no. 40. Notification of changes in taxonomic opinion previously published outside the IJSEM. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2024; 74:6482.
  • Notes:
    • 🥇 Nomenclatural type of the order Mycobacteriales Cavalier-Smith 2002. Publication: Cavalier-Smith T. The neomuran origin of archaebacteria, the negibacterial root of the universal tree and bacterial megaclassification. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2002; 52:7-76. 🇬🇧
    • 🥇 Nomenclatural type of the suborder Mycobacteriineae Val-Calvo and Vázquez-Boland 2024. Publication: Val-Calvo J, Vazquez-Boland JA. Mycobacteriales taxonomy using network analysis-aided, context-uniform phylogenomic approach for non-subjective genus demarcation. mBio 2023; 14:e0220723. 🇬🇧
    • 🧕 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 (2002) assigned this genus to the class Arabobacteria Cavalier-Smith 2002. Publication: Cavalier-Smith T. The neomuran origin of archaebacteria, the negibacterial root of the universal tree and bacterial megaclassification. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2002; 52:7-76. 🇬🇧
    • 🧕 Cavalier-Smith (2002) assigned this genus to the order Mycobacteriales Janke 1924 (Approved Lists 1980). Publication: Cavalier-Smith T. The neomuran origin of archaebacteria, the negibacterial root of the universal tree and bacterial megaclassification. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2002; 52:7-76. 🇬🇧
    • 🧕 Goodfellow and Williams (1983) assigned this genus to the uncategorized "Nocardioform" Goodfellow and Williams 1983. Publication: Goodfellow M, Williams ST. Ecology of actinomycetes. Annu Rev Microbiol 1983; 37:189-216.
    • 🧕 Kluyver and Van Niel (1936) assigned this genus to the tribe "Mycobacterieae". Publication: Kluyver AJ, Van Niel CB. Prospects for a natural system of classification of bacteria. Zentralblatt für Bakteriologie, Parasitenkunde, Infektionskrankheiten und Hygiene, Abteilung II 1936; 94:369-403.
    • 🧕 Val-Calvo and Vazquez-Boland (2023) assigned this genus to the suborder Mycobacteriineae Val-Calvo and Vázquez-Boland 2024. Publication: Val-Calvo J, Vazquez-Boland JA. Mycobacteriales taxonomy using network analysis-aided, context-uniform phylogenomic approach for non-subjective genus demarcation. mBio 2023; 14:e0220723. 🇬🇧
    • 🧒 Val-Calvo et al. (2025) assigned the subgenus Mycolicibacillus (Gupta et al. 2018) Val-Calvo et al. 2025 to this genus. Publication: Val-Calvo J, Scortti M, Goker M, Vazquez-Boland JA. Leveraging the subgenus category to address monophyletic genus over-splitting: illustration with recently proposed Mycobacteriales genera. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2025; 75:6917. 🇬🇧
    • 🧒 Val-Calvo et al. (2025) assigned the subgenus Mycolicibacter (Gupta et al. 2018) Val-Calvo et al. 2025 to this genus. Publication: Val-Calvo J, Scortti M, Goker M, Vazquez-Boland JA. Leveraging the subgenus category to address monophyletic genus over-splitting: illustration with recently proposed Mycobacteriales genera. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2025; 75:6917. 🇬🇧
    • 🧒 Val-Calvo et al. (2025) assigned the subgenus Mycolicibacterium (Gupta et al. 2018) Val-Calvo et al. 2025 to this genus. Publication: Val-Calvo J, Scortti M, Goker M, Vazquez-Boland JA. Leveraging the subgenus category to address monophyletic genus over-splitting: illustration with recently proposed Mycobacteriales genera. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2025; 75:6917. 🇬🇧
    • 🚋 The type species of this genus has alternatively been placed in the genus "Bacterium" Ehrenberg 1831. Publication: Zopf W. Die Spaltpilze. Edward Trewendt, Breslau, 1883.
    • 🙄 This taxon name is occasionally misprinted (or affected by an OCR error) in some sources as: "Afycobacterium"; "Alycobacterium"; "Cobacterium"; "Iycobactcrium"; "Iycobacterium"; "Jlfycobacterium"; "Jllycobacterium"; "Jlycobaclerium"; "Jlycobacterium"; "Maycobacterium"; "Mgcobacterium"; "Mjicobacterium"; "Mjmbacterium"; "Mjwobacterium"; "Mqlcobacterium"; "Mucobactcrium"; "Mvcobaclrrium"; "Mvcobacterium"; "Myaobacterium"; "Mycabacierium"; "Mycabaclerium"; "Mycabactcrium"; "Mycabacterium"; "Mycabaczerium"; "Mycahacterium"; "Myccbacterium"; "Mycchacterium"; "Mycnbactcrium"; "Mycnbacterium"; "Mycnbarterrium"; "Mycobabterium"; "Mycobaccerium"; "Mycobacecrium"; "Mycobaceerium"; "Mycobacerium"; "Mycobacferium"; "Mycobacicrium"; "Mycobacienum"; "Mycobacierium"; "Mycobaclcrium"; "Mycobaclerium"; "Mycobaclerlunz"; "Mycobaclvrium"; "Mycobaclwium"; "Mycobacmrium"; "Mycobacrenum"; "Mycobacrerium"; "Mycobacrterium"; "Mycobacserium"; "Mycobactcrium"; "Mycobactcrlum"; "Mycobacteinum"; "Mycobacteirum"; "Mycobacteiuum"; "Mycobactemum"; "Mycobactenium"; "Mycobactenum"; "Mycobactenurn"; "Mycobacter"; "Mycobactercum"; "Mycobacteriae"; "Mycobacteriium"; "Mycobacteriiun"; "Mycobacterimn"; "Mycobacterinm"; "Mycobacteriu"; "Mycobacteriuma"; "Mycobacteriurn"; "Mycobacterivm"; "Mycobacteriwn"; "Mycobacterixim"; "Mycobacterjum"; "Mycobacterrum"; "Mycobactertum"; "Mycobacteruium"; "Mycobacterum"; "Mycobacterzum"; "Mycobactetium"; "Mycobactevium"; "Mycobactmiurn"; "Mycobactorium"; "Mycobactrerium"; "Mycobactrium"; "Mycobactuium"; "Mycobactvrium"; "Mycobactwium"; "Mycobactwrium"; "Mycobacwrium"; "Mycobaczarium"; "Mycobaczcrium"; "Mycobaczerium"; "Mycobamerium"; "Mycobanterium"; "Mycobaoterium"; "Mycobatcerium"; "Mycobaterium"; "Mycobavlarium"; "Mycobcaterium"; "Mycobcclerium"; "Mycobecterium"; "Mycobmzterium"; "Mycobnclcrium"; "Mycobncrerium"; "Mycobnctcrium"; "Mycobncterium"; "Mycobnoterium"; "Mycoboclerium"; "Mycoboctcrium"; "Mycobocterium"; "Mycobuclerium"; "Mycobuctcrium"; "Mycobucterium"; "Mycohaclerium"; "Mycohacterium"; "Mycohaoterium"; "Mycohcterium"; "Mycohucierium"; "Mycohucterium"; "Mycolacterium"; "Mycolmclerium"; "Mycolmcterium"; "Mycrobacterium"; "Mycubaclerium"; "Mycubacterium"; "Mycubactwium"; "Myeobaclerium"; "Myeobacterium"; "Myeobaterium"; "Mykobacterium"; "Mykobakterium"; "Mymbacterium"; "Myobacterium"; "Myocbacterium"; "Myocobacterium"; "Myoobacterium"; "Myoobaoterium"; "Myrobacterium"; "Myrubacterlum"; "Myruburlurium"; "Myvobacterium"; "Mywbacterium"; "Nfycobacterium"; "Paramycobacterium"; "Xycobacterium". — 🤨 This taxon name is occasionally used in plural form as: "Mycobacteria".
    • 🖹 Minimal standards for the description of new taxa in this group were published in 1992. Publication: Levy-Frebault VV, Portaels F. Proposed minimal standards for the genus Mycobacterium and for description of new slowly growing Mycobacterium species. Int J Syst Bacteriol 1992; 42:315-323. 🇧🇪
    • 🎰 The BRCs most frequently used for deposits in this group are: DSM: 220; JCM: 154; ATCC: 139; CIP: 136; CCUG: 100; NCTC: 53; KCTC: 26; CECT: 15; HAMBI: 13; LMG: 12.
    • 😷 The risk group for Belgium has been imported on 2024-02-05. The full classification is: risk group = 2, note = "sp. ''MCRO 33'': 2 human pathogen". — The risk group for Canada has been imported on 2024-02-27. The full classification is: risk group = 3, note = "Excluding Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex and non-BCG Mycobacterium bovis strains: 2 Animal classification RG: 2 - Security sensitive biological agent: No - Terrestrial animal pathogen under Canadian Food Inspection Agency authority: No - Containment level: Containment Level 2; default: 3 Animal classification RG: 3 - Security sensitive biological agent: No - Terrestrial animal pathogen under Canadian Food Inspection Agency authority: No". — The risk group for Taiwan has been imported on 2024-11-03. The full classification is: risk group = 2, note = "P650 = v". — The risk group for United States has been imported on 2024-02-09. The full classification is: risk group = 2, note = "except those listed in Appendix B-III-A (RG3): 2; default: 2 except those listed in Appendix B-III-A (RG3)". — 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.
    • 🧍 Medical researchers opposed the dissection of the genus Mycobacterium into several genera. Publication: Tortoli E, Brown-Elliott BA, Chalmers JD, Cirillo DM, Daley CL, Emler S, Floto RA, Garcia MJ, Hoefsloot W, Koh WJ, et al. Same meat, different gravy: ignore the new names of mycobacteria. Eur Respir J 2019; 54:1900795. 🇮🇹
    • 🧍 Meier-Kolthoff and Göker (2019) conducted a phylogenomic analysis of this genus. Publication: Meier-Kolthoff JP, Goker M. TYGS is an automated high-throughput platform for state-of-the-art genome-based taxonomy. Nat Commun 2019; 10:2182. 🇩🇪
    • 🧍 Pittman et al. (1991) suggested the abbreviation "MYBT" 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 Beye et al. (2018). Publication: Beye M, Fahsi N, Raoult D, Fournier PE. Careful use of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity values for the identification of Mycobacterium species. New Microbes New Infect 2018; 22:24-29. 🇫🇷
    • 🧍 See also Maeda and Kobayashi (2001). Publication: Maeda S, Kobayashi K. [Current topics on classification and nomenclature of bacteria. 6. Classification of Mycobacteria and future perspectives]. Kansenshogaku Zasshi 2001; 75:457-459.
    • 🧍 See also Moore and Millar (2022). Publication: Moore JE, Millar BC. Helping map the taxonomical position of the Nontuberculous Mycobacteria (NTM) in cystic fibrosis. Int J Mycobacteriol 2022; 11:303-308. 🇬🇧
    • 🧍 See also Tortoli et al. (2019). Publication: Tortoli E, Meehan CJ, Grottola A, Fregni Serpini G, Fabio A, Trovato A, Pecorari M, Cirillo DM. Genome-based taxonomic revision detects a number of synonymous taxa in the genus Mycobacterium. Infect Genet Evol 2019; 75:103983. 🇮🇹

Subdivision:

Number of child taxa with a validly published and correct name: 221
Number of child taxa with a validly published name, including synonyms: 235
Total number of child taxa: 320

Parent taxon: Mycobacteriaceae Chester 1897 (Approved Lists 1980)

Assigned by: 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.

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Record number: 516137