Name: Cytophaga johnsonae Stanier 1947 (Approved Lists 1980)

Category: Species

Proposed as: sp. nov.

Etymology: john’so.nae. N.L. gen. fem. n. johnsonae, of Johnson, named after the American microbiologist Delia E. Johnson, who made an early study of chitinolytic gliding soil bacteria (sic)

Pronunciation, gender: JOHN-so-na͡e, feminine

Type strain: ATCC 17061; CCUG 35202; CFBP 3036; CIP 100931; DSM 2064; IFO 14942; JCM 8514; LMG 1341; NBRC 14942

Conduct genome-based taxonomy at

16S rRNA gene: M59051 Analyse FASTA

Effective publication: Stanier RY. Studies on nonfruiting myxobacteria. I. Cytophaga johnsonae, n. sp., a chitin-decomposing myxobacterium. Journal of Bacteriology 1947; 53:297-315.

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: Flavobacterium johnsoniae corrig. (Stanier 1947) Bernardet et al. 1996

Risk group: 2

• Synonyms:

  • Name	Kind
    Flavobacterium johnsoniae corrig. (Stanier 1947) Bernardet et al. 1996	homotypic synonym, validly published under the ICNP
    Flavobacterium johnsonae (Stanier 1947) Bernardet et al. 1996	homotypic synonym, inaccurate spelling

• Notes:
  • ⏰ According to Bernardet et al. (1996), this species is an earlier heterotypic synonym of Flexibacter aurantiacus Lewin 1969 (Approved Lists 1980). Publication: Bernardet JF, Segers P, Vancanneyt M, Berthe F, Kersters K, Vandamme P. Cutting a Gordian knot: emended classification and description of the genus Flavobacterium, emended description of the family Flavobacteriaceae, and proposal of Flavobacterium hydatis nom. nov. (basonym, Cytophaga aquatilis Strohl and Tait 1978). Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol. 1996; 46:128-148.
  • ⏰ According to Garcia-Lopez et al. (2019), this species is not an earlier heterotypic synonym of Flexibacter aurantiacus Lewin 1969 (Approved Lists 1980). Publication: Garcia-Lopez M, Meier-Kolthoff JP, Tindall BJ, Gronow S, Woyke T, Kyrpides NC, Hahnke RL, Goker M. Analysis of 1,000 Type-Strain Genomes Improves Taxonomic Classification of Bacteroidetes. Front Microbiol 2019; 10:2083.
  • 🏢 Synonymy of this taxon was mentioned in an IJSEM list. Publication: Oren A, Garrity GM. Validation list no. 193. List of new names and new combinations previously effectively, but not validly, published. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2020; 70:2960-2966.
  • ❗ Cytophaga johnsonae 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 40 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.

Parent taxon: Cytophaga Winogradsky 1929 (Approved Lists 1980)

Assigned by: Stanier RY. Studies on nonfruiting myxobacteria. I. Cytophaga johnsonae, n. sp., a chitin-decomposing myxobacterium. Journal of Bacteriology 1947; 53:297-315.

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Record number: 775395