Species ***Clostridium* *botulinum***

Name: Clostridium botulinum (van Ermengem 1896) Bergey et al. 1923 (Approved Lists 1980)

Category: Species

Proposed as: comb. nov.

Basonym: "Bacillus botulinus" van Ermengem 1896

Etymology: bo.tu.li’num. L. masc. n. botulus, sausage; L. neut. adj. suff. -inum, suffix used with the sense of belonging to; N.L. neut. adj. botulinum, pertaining to sausage

Pronunciation (Latin), gender: klos-TRI-di-um bo-tu-LI-num, neuter

Type strain: ATCC 25763; CIP 104310

Conduct genome-based taxonomy at

16S rRNA gene: L37585 Analyse FASTA

Effective publication: Bergey DH, Harrison FC, Breed RS, Hammer BW, Huntoon FM. Bergey's Manual of Determinative Bacteriology, 1st ed. The Williams & Wilkins Co, Baltimore, 1923.

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, conserved name

Taxonomic status: correct name (and explicitly recommended for medical use)

Risk group: 2

Synonyms:

Name	Kind
"Bacillus botulinus" van Ermengem 1896	homotypic synonym, not validly published, basonym of name in Approved Lists

Notes:
- 😷 The risk group for Belgium has been imported on 2024-02-05. The full classification is: risk group = 2, note = "human and animal pathogen - human: T - biological class of risk animal: 2". — The risk group for Canada has been imported on 2024-02-27. The full classification is: risk group = 2, note = "default: 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; strain IBCA10-7060 type Bh: 2 Security sensitive biological agent: No - Terrestrial animal pathogen under Canadian Food Inspection Agency authority: No". — The risk group for Swiss Confederation has been imported on 2024-02-01. The full classification is: risk group = 2. — The risk group for Germany has been imported on 2026-08-13. The full classification is: risk group = 2, note = "T, Z". — The risk group for France has been imported on 2024-08-30. The full classification is: risk group = 2, note = "T". — The risk group for Sweden has been imported on 2024-02-05. The full classification is: risk group = 2, note = "T". — The risk group for Taiwan has been imported on 2024-11-03. The full classification is: risk group = 2, note = "P620 = v, P650 = v". — The risk group for United Kingdom has been imported on 2024-01-31. The full classification is: risk group = 2, note = "Toxigenic". — The risk group for United States has been imported on 2024-02-09. The full classification is: risk group = 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.
- 🎓 Name mentioned 4256 times in PubMed until 2026-06-11.
- 🙆 This name is on the List of Recommended Names for bacteria of medical importance (LoRN) as the name to be applied to this species. The name is on LoRN because of the recorded risk group of the species itself.
- 🧍 According to Bartlett et al. (2022), this species is an established human pathogen. Publication: Bartlett A, Padfield D, Lear L, Bendall R, Vos M. A comprehensive list of bacterial pathogens infecting humans. Microbiology (Reading) 2022; 168:0. 🇬🇧
- 🧍 See also Smith et al. (2023). Publication: Smith TJ, Schill KM, Williamson CHD. Navigating the Complexities Involving the Identification of Botulinum Neurotoxins (BoNTs) and the Taxonomy of BoNT-Producing Clostridia. Toxins (Basel) 2023; 15:0. 🇺🇸
- 🧍 Conserved name (Judicial Opinion 69, IJSB 49:339). Toxin type G -> C. argentinense IJSB 38:380. Publication: Judicial Commission. Judicial Opinion No. 69. Int J Syst Bacteriol 1999; 49:339.
- 🧍 Clostridium botulinum (van Ermengem 1896) Bergey et al. 1923 (Approved Lists 1980), Clostridium putrificum (Trevisan 1889) Reddish and Rettger 1922 (Approved Lists 1980), and Clostridium sporogenes (Metchnikoff 1908) Bergey et al. 1923 (Approved Lists 1980) are genetically related at the species level and Clostridium putrificum has priority. Olsen et al. 1995, propose rejection of the name Clostridium putrificum on the basis of the Rules 23a note 4 and 56a (5) as a nomen periculosum, and conservation of the name Clostridium botulinum (Rule 23a note 4, Rule 56b note 2), and conservation of the name Clostridium sporogenes for the nontoxigenic strains on the basis of the Rules 23a note 4 and 56b note 2. Publication: Reddish G, Rettger L. Clostridium putrificum (B. putrificus Beinstock) a distinct species. Abstracts of Bacteriology 1922; 6:9.

Subdivision:

Number of child taxa with a validly published and correct name: 0
Number of child taxa with a validly published name, including synonyms: 2
Total number of child taxa: 2

Child taxa:

Name	Nomenclatural status	Taxonomic status
Clostridium botulinum subsp. botulinum (van Ermengem 1896) Dif et al. 2026	validly published under the ICNP	synonym of its species
Clostridium botulinum subsp. combesii (Prévot and Laplanche 1947) Dif et al. 2026	validly published under the ICNP	synonym

Parent taxon: Clostridium Prazmowski 1880 (Approved Lists 1980)

Assigned by: Bergey DH, Harrison FC, Breed RS, Hammer BW, Huntoon FM. Bergey's Manual of Determinative Bacteriology, 1st ed. The Williams & Wilkins Co, Baltimore, 1923.

Linking: To permanently link to this page, use https://doi.org/10.83108/rn.783659Link copied to clipboard

Record number: 783659

This LPSN page was printed on 2026-08-17 02:19:29

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Species Clostridium botulinum

Species ***Clostridium* *botulinum***