Name: Cytophaga columnaris (Bernardet and Grimont 1989 ex Davis 1922) Reichenbach 1989

Category: Species

Proposed as: comb. nov.

Basonym: Flexibacter columnaris (ex Davis 1922) Bernardet and Grimont 1989

Etymology: co.lum.na’ris. L. fem. adj. columnaris, rising in the form of a pillar, referring to the shape of the aggregates formed by the bacteria on external lesions of infected fish

Pronunciation, gender: ko-lum-NA-ris, feminine

Type strain: 1-S-2cl (Anacker 1956); ATCC 23463; DSM 18644; NCIMB 2248; NCMB 2248

See detailed strain information at

Conduct genome-based taxonomy at

16S rRNA gene: AB078047 Analyse FASTA

Effective publication: Reichenbach H. Genus I. Cytophaga Winogradsky 1929, 577, emend. In: Staley JT, Bryant MP, Pfennig N, Holt JG (eds), Bergey's manual of systematic bacteriology, vol. 3., The Williams & Wilkins Co., Baltimore, 1989, p. 2015-2020.

IJSEM list: Anonymous. Validation list no. 31. Validation of publication of new names and new combinations previously effectively published outside the IJSB. Int J Syst Bacteriol 1989; 39:495-497.

Nomenclatural status: validly published under the ICNP

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

Correct name: Flavobacterium columnare (Bernardet and Grimont 1989 ex Davis 1922) Bernardet et al. 1996

Risk group: 2

• Synonyms:

  • Name	Kind
    Flexibacter columnaris (ex Davis 1922) Bernardet and Grimont 1989	homotypic synonym, validly published under the ICNP
    Flavobacterium columnare (Bernardet and Grimont 1989 ex Davis 1922) Bernardet et al. 1996	homotypic synonym, validly published under the ICNP

• Notes:
  • ❗ Cytophaga columnaris 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 Cytophaga.
  • 😷 The risk group for Belgium has been imported on 2024-02-05. The full classification is: risk group = 1, note = "animal pathogen - biological class of risk animal: 2". — The risk group for Canada has been imported on 2024-02-27. The full classification is: risk group = 1, note = "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, note = "PV". — The risk group for Germany has been imported on 2023-10-29. The full classification is: risk group = 1, note = "t2". — 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 9 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.
  • 🧍 In Validation List no. 31, the page numbers of the paper by Reichenbach 1989 are erroneously cited as 2015-2020 (sic). Publication: Euzeby JP, Kudo T. Corrigenda to the validation lists. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2001; 51:1933-1938.

Parent taxon: Cytophaga Winogradsky 1929 (Approved Lists 1980)

Assigned by: Reichenbach H. Genus I. Cytophaga Winogradsky 1929, 577, emend. In: Staley JT, Bryant MP, Pfennig N, Holt JG (eds), Bergey's manual of systematic bacteriology, vol. 3., The Williams & Wilkins Co., Baltimore, 1989, p. 2015-2020.

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Record number: 783721