Name: Kocuria rosea (Flügge 1886) Stackebrandt et al. 1995

Category: Species

Proposed as: comb. nov.

Basonym: Micrococcus roseus Flügge 1886 (Approved Lists 1980)

Etymology: ro’se.a. L. fem. adj. rosea, rose-colored, rosy

Pronunciation, gender: … RO-se-a, feminine

Type strain: ATCC 186; CCM 679; CCUG 4312; CIP 71.15; DSM 20447; IEGM 394; IFO 3768; JCM 11614; LMG 14224; NBRC 3768; NCTC 7523; NRRL B-2977; VKM B-1823

Conduct genome-based taxonomy at

16S rRNA gene: X87756 Analyse FASTA

Valid publication: Stackebrandt E, Koch C, Gvozdiak O, Schumann P. Taxonomic dissection of the genus Micrococcus: Kocuria gen. nov., Nesterenkonia gen. nov., Kytococcus gen. nov., Dermacoccus gen. nov., and Micrococcus Cohn 1872 gen. emend. Int J Syst Bacteriol 1995; 45:682-692. 🇩🇪

IJSEM list: Anonymous. Notification list. Notification that new names and new combinations have appeared in volume 45, part 4 of the IJSB. Int J Syst Bacteriol 1996; 46:364-365.

Nomenclatural status: validly published under the ICNP

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

Risk group: 1

• Synonyms:

  • Name	Kind
    Kocuria erythromyxa (Brooks and Murray 1981 ex Chester 1901) Rainey et al. 1997	heterotypic synonym, validly published under the ICNP
    Micrococcus roseus Flügge 1886 (Approved Lists 1980)	homotypic synonym, validly published under the ICNP
    Deinococcus erythromyxa (ex Chester 1901) Brooks and Murray 1981	heterotypic synonym, validly published under the ICNP
    Pelczaria aurantia Poston 1994	heterotypic synonym, validly published under the ICNP, rejected name

• Emendations:
  • Ghodhbane-Gtari et al. 2024 Ghodhbane-Gtari F, Haj Nasr MA, Gatri R, Gtari M. Taxonomic note on Kocuria and Rothia: taxogenomic insights for addressing misidentifications and proposing new combinations and new subspecies. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2024; 74:6586. 🇹🇳 Oren A, Göker M. Notification list. Notification that new names and new combinations have appeared in volume 74, part 11 of the IJSEM. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2025; 75:6619.

• Notes:
  • 🥇 Nomenclatural type of the genus Kocuria Stackebrandt et al. 1995. Publication: Stackebrandt E, Koch C, Gvozdiak O, Schumann P. Taxonomic dissection of the genus Micrococcus: Kocuria gen. nov., Nesterenkonia gen. nov., Kytococcus gen. nov., Dermacoccus gen. nov., and Micrococcus Cohn 1872 gen. emend. Int J Syst Bacteriol 1995; 45:682-692. 🇩🇪
  • ⏰ According to Schumann et al. (1999), this species is an earlier heterotypic synonym of Kocuria erythromyxa (Brooks and Murray 1981 ex Chester 1901) Rainey et al. 1997. Publication: Schumann P, Spröer C, Burghardt J, Kovacs G, Stackebrandt E. Reclassification of the species Kocuria erythromyxa (Brooks and Murray 1981) as Kocuria rosea (Flügge 1886). Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol. 1999; 49:393-396. 🇩🇪
  • ⏰ According to Schumann et al. (1999), this species is an earlier heterotypic synonym of Deinococcus erythromyxa (ex Chester 1901) Brooks and Murray 1981. Publication: Schumann P, Spröer C, Burghardt J, Kovacs G, Stackebrandt E. Reclassification of the species Kocuria erythromyxa (Brooks and Murray 1981) as Kocuria rosea (Flügge 1886). Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol. 1999; 49:393-396. 🇩🇪
  • ⏰ According to Schumann et al. (2000), this species is an earlier heterotypic synonym of Pelczaria aurantia Poston 1994. Publication: Schumann P, Tindall BJ, Mendrock U, Kramer I, Stackebrandt E. Pelczaria aurantia ATCC 49321T (=DSM 12801T) is a strain of Kocuria rosea (Flugge 1886) Stackebrandt et al. 1995. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2000; 50:1421-1424. 🇩🇪
  • 😩 Deposits incorrectly indicated in some sources as representing the type strain of this taxon: DSM 14382; MTCC 3702.
  • 😷 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 Swiss Confederation has been imported on 2024-02-01. The full classification is: risk group = 1. — The risk group for Germany has been imported on 2023-10-29. The full classification is: risk group = 1. — The risk group for Taiwan has been imported on 2024-11-03. The full classification is: risk group = 1, note = "P650 = v". — 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 100 times in PubMed until 2025-06-04.
  • 🙆 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 pathogenicity 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: Publication: Tindall BJ, Schumann P, Stackebrandt E. The status of the genus Pelczaria (Poston 1994) and the species Pelczaria aurantia (Poston 1994). Request for an Opinion. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2000; 50:1695-1696. 🇩🇪

Subdivision:

Number of child taxa with a validly published and correct name: 2
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
    Kocuria rosea subsp. polaris (Reddy et al. 2003) Ghodhbane-Gtari et al. 2024	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    Kocuria rosea subsp. rosea (Flügge 1886) Ghodhbane-Gtari et al. 2024	validly published under the ICNP	correct name

Parent taxon: Kocuria Stackebrandt et al. 1995

Assigned by: Stackebrandt E, Koch C, Gvozdiak O, Schumann P. Taxonomic dissection of the genus Micrococcus: Kocuria gen. nov., Nesterenkonia gen. nov., Kytococcus gen. nov., Dermacoccus gen. nov., and Micrococcus Cohn 1872 gen. emend. Int J Syst Bacteriol 1995; 45:682-692. 🇩🇪

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Record number: 777198