Species Clostridium sphenoides

Name: Clostridium sphenoides (Douglas et al. 1919) Bergey et al. 1923 (Approved Lists 1980)

Category: Species

Proposed as: comb. nov.

Basonym: "Bacillus sphenoides" Douglas et al. 1919

Etymology: sphe.no.i’des. Gr. masc. n. sphên (gen. sphênos), wedge; L. adj. suff. -oides, ressembling, similar; from Gr. neut. adj. suff. -eides, resembling, similar; from Gr. neut. n. eîdos, that which is seen, form, shape, figure; N.L. neut. adj. sphenoides, wedge-shaped

Pronunciation (Latin), gender: … sp^he-no-I-des, neuter

Type strain: ATCC 19403; CIP 104283; DSM 632; JCM 1415; LMG 10390; NCCB 77027; NCIB 10627; NCIMB 10627; NCTC 507; Thorlby

See detailed strain information at

Conduct genome-based taxonomy at

16S rRNA gene: X73449 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

Taxonomic status: synonym (and not recommended for medical use)

Correct name: Lacrimispora sphenoides (Douglas et al. 1919) Haas and Blanchard 2020

Risk group: 2

Synonyms:

Name	Kind
"Bacillus sphenoides" Douglas et al. 1919	homotypic synonym, not validly published, basonym of name in Approved Lists
Desulfotomaculum guttoideum Gogotova and Vainstein 1986	heterotypic synonym, validly published under the ICNP
Lacrimispora sphenoides (Douglas et al. 1919) Haas and Blanchard 2020	homotypic synonym, validly published under the ICNP

Notes:
- ⏰ According to Haas and Blanchard (2020), this species is an earlier heterotypic synonym of Desulfotomaculum guttoideum Gogotova and Vainstein 1986. Publication: Haas KN, Blanchard JL. Reclassification of the Clostridium clostridioforme and Clostridium sphenoides clades as Enterocloster gen. nov. and Lacrimispora gen. nov., including reclassification of 15 taxa. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2020; 70:23-34. 🇺🇸
- 🏢 Synonymy of this taxon was mentioned in an IJSEM list. Publication: Oren A, Garrity GM. Notification list. Notification that new names and new combinations have appeared in volume 70, part 1 of the IJSEM. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2020; 70:2167-2173.
- ❗ Clostridium sphenoides is the correct name instead if this species is regarded as a separate species (i.e., if its nomenclatural type is not assigned to another species whose name is validly published, legitimate and not rejected and has priority) within a separate genus Clostridium.
- 😷 The risk group for Belgium has been imported on 2024-02-05. The full classification is: risk group = 2, note = "human pathogen". — The risk group for Canada has been imported on 2024-02-27. The full classification is: risk group = 2, note = "Animal classification RG: 1 - Security sensitive biological agent: No - Terrestrial animal pathogen under Canadian Food Inspection Agency authority: No - Containment level: Containment Level 2". — 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 2023-10-29. 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 23 times in PubMed until 2025-06-04.
- 🙅 This name is on the List of Recommended Names for bacteria of medical importance (LoRN) as a synonym of 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. 🇬🇧

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.

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Record number: 774984

This LPSN page was printed on 2026-02-09 20:30:12

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Species Clostridium sphenoides