Name: Geobacillus stearothermophilus (Donk 1920) Nazina et al. 2001

Category: Species

Proposed as: comb. nov.

Basonym: Bacillus stearothermophilus Donk 1920 (Approved Lists 1980)

Etymology: ste.a.ro.ther.mo’phi.lus. Gr. neut. n. stear, fat; Gr. fem. adj. thermê, heat; N.L. adj. philus -a -um, friend, loving; from Gr. adj. philos -ê -on, loving; N.L. masc. adj. stearothermophilus, (presumably intended to mean) heat- and fat-loving

Pronunciation (Latin), gender: ge-o-ba-KIL-lus ste-a-ro-t^her-MO-p^hi-lus, masculine

Type strain: ATCC 12980; BCRC 11092; BGSC 9A20; CCM 2062; CCRC 11092; CCUG 26241; CIP 66.23; DSM 22; IAM 11062; IFO 12550; JCM 2501; KCTC 1665; KCTC 1752; LMG 6939; NBIMCC 2282; NBRC 12550; NCCB 75019; NCDO 1768; NCFB 1768; NCIB 8923; NCIMB 8923; NCTC 10339; NRRL B-1172; VKM B-510

See detailed strain information at

Conduct genome-based taxonomy at

16S rRNA gene: AB021196 Analyse FASTA

Valid publication: Nazina TN, Tourova TP, Poltaraus AB, Novikova EV, Grigoryan AA, Ivanova AE, Lysenko AM, Petrunyaka VV, Osipov GA, Belyaev SS, et al. Taxonomic study of aerobic thermophilic bacilli: descriptions of Geobacillus subterraneus gen. nov., sp. nov. and Geobacillus uzenensis sp. nov. from petroleum reservoirs and transfer of Bacillus stearothermophilus, Bacillus thermocatenulatus, Bacillus thermoleovorans, Bacillus kaustophilus, Bacillus thermodenitrificans to Geobacillus as the new combinations G. stearothermophilus, G. th. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2001; 51:433-446. 🇷🇺

IJSEM list: Anonymous. Notification list. Notification that new names and new combinations have appeared in volume 51, part 2 of the IJSEM. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2001; 51:795-796.

Nomenclatural status: validly published under the ICNP

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

Risk group: 1

• Synonyms:

  • Name	Kind
    Bacillus stearothermophilus Donk 1920 (Approved Lists 1980)	homotypic synonym, validly published under the ICNP

• Emendations:
  • Coorevits et al. 2012 Coorevits A, Dinsdale AE, Halket G, Lebbe L, De Vos P, Van Landschoot A, Logan NA. Taxonomic revision of the genus Geobacillus: emendation of Geobacillus, G. stearothermophilus, G. jurassicus, G. toebii, G. thermodenitrificans and G. thermoglucosidans (nom. corrig., formerly 'thermoglucosidasius'); transfer of Bacillus thermantarcticus to the genus as G. thermantarcticus comb. nov.; proposal of Caldibacillus debilis gen. nov., comb. nov.; transfer of G. tepidamans to Anoxybacillus as A. tepidamans comb. nov.; and proposal of Anoxybacillus caldiproteolyticus sp. nov. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2012; 62:1470-1485. 🇧🇪 Euzeby JP. Notification list. Notification that new names and new combinations have appeared in volume 62, part 7 of the IJSEM. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2012; 62:2313-2314.

• Notes:
  • 🥇 Nomenclatural type of the genus Geobacillus Nazina et al. 2001. Publication: Nazina TN, Tourova TP, Poltaraus AB, Novikova EV, Grigoryan AA, Ivanova AE, Lysenko AM, Petrunyaka VV, Osipov GA, Belyaev SS, et al. Taxonomic study of aerobic thermophilic bacilli: descriptions of Geobacillus subterraneus gen. nov., sp. nov. and Geobacillus uzenensis sp. nov. from petroleum reservoirs and transfer of Bacillus stearothermophilus, Bacillus thermocatenulatus, Bacillus thermoleovorans, Bacillus kaustophilus, Bacillus thermodenitrificans to Geobacillus as the new combinations G. stearothermophilus, G. th. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2001; 51:433-446. 🇷🇺
  • 📧 The e-mail address of the corresponding author given in the effective publication is not functional any more.
  • 😷 The risk group for Canada has been imported on 2024-02-27. The full classification is: risk group = 1, note = "Animal classification RG: 1 - Security sensitive biological agent: No - Terrestrial animal pathogen under Canadian Food Inspection Agency authority: No - Containment level: Containment Level 1". — The risk group for Germany has been imported on 2026-08-13. The full classification is: risk group = 1. — 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 795 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 other species in the genus.
  • 🧍 According to Rules 27(3) and 30, this name is not validly published because the effective publication only documents deposit of the type strain in a single recognized culture collection. However, according to the Judicial Opinion 81, Geobacillus stearothermophilus (Donk 1920) Nazina et al. 2001 is to be considered to be validly published. Publication: Euzeby JP, Tindall BJ. Status of strains that contravene Rules 27(3) and 30 of the Bacteriological Code. Request for an opinion. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2004; 54:293-301. 🇫🇷

Parent taxon: Geobacillus Nazina et al. 2001

Assigned by: Nazina TN, Tourova TP, Poltaraus AB, Novikova EV, Grigoryan AA, Ivanova AE, Lysenko AM, Petrunyaka VV, Osipov GA, Belyaev SS, et al. Taxonomic study of aerobic thermophilic bacilli: descriptions of Geobacillus subterraneus gen. nov., sp. nov. and Geobacillus uzenensis sp. nov. from petroleum reservoirs and transfer of Bacillus stearothermophilus, Bacillus thermocatenulatus, Bacillus thermoleovorans, Bacillus kaustophilus, Bacillus thermodenitrificans to Geobacillus as the new combinations G. stearothermophilus, G. th. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2001; 51:433-446. 🇷🇺

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Record number: 776449