Name: Micrococcus lylae Kloos et al. 1974 (Approved Lists 1980)

Category: Species

Proposed as: sp. nov.

Etymology: ly’lae. N.L. gen. fem. n. lylae, of Lyla, named for Lyla Kloos, by whom this organism was originally isolated

Gender: masculine

Type strain: ATCC 27566; CCUG 33027; CIP 81.70; DSM 20315; IEGM 392; IFO 15355; JCM 11572; LMG 14218; NBRC 15355; NCTC 11037; VKM B-1815

See detailed strain information at

Conduct genome-based taxonomy at

16S rRNA gene: X80750 Analyse FASTA

Effective publication: Kloos WE, Tornabene TG, Schleifer KH. Isolation and characterization of micrococci from human skin, including two new species: Micrococcus lylae and Micrococcus kristinae. International Journal of Systematic Bacteriology 1974; 24:79-101.

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: correct name (and explicitly recommended for medical use)

Risk group: 1

• Emendations:
  • Wieser et al. 2002 Wieser M, Denner EB, Kampfer P, Schumann P, Tindall B, Steiner U, Vybiral D, Lubitz W, Maszenan AM, Patel BK, et al. Emended descriptions of the genus Micrococcus, Micrococcus luteus (Cohn 1872) and Micrococcus lylae (Kloos et al. 1974). Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2002; 52:629-637. Anonymous. Notification list. Notification that new names and new combinations have appeared in volume 52, part 2 of the IJSEM. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2002; 52:691-692.
  • Nouioui et al. 2018 Nouioui I, Carro L, Garcia-Lopez M, Meier-Kolthoff JP, Woyke T, Kyrpides NC, Pukall R, Klenk HP, Goodfellow M, Goker M. Genome-Based Taxonomic Classification of the Phylum Actinobacteria. Front Microbiol 2018; 9:2007. Oren A, Garrity GM. List of changes in taxonomic opinion no. 29. Notification of changes in taxonomic opinion previously published outside the IJSEM. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2019; 69:13-32.

• Notes:
  • 😷 The risk group for Canada has been imported on 2024-02-27. The full classification is: risk group = 1, note = "Animal classification RG: 2 - 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 = 1. — The risk group for Germany has been imported on 2023-10-29. 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 34 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 other species in the genus.
  • 🧍 On the Approved Lists, the type strain ATCC 27566 is erroneously cited as ATCC 17566. Publication: Skerman VBD, McGowan V, Sneath PHA. Approved lists of bacterial names. Int J Syst Bacteriol 1980; 30:225-420.

Parent taxon: Micrococcus Cohn 1872 (Approved Lists 1980)

Assigned by: Kloos WE, Tornabene TG, Schleifer KH. Isolation and characterization of micrococci from human skin, including two new species: Micrococcus lylae and Micrococcus kristinae. International Journal of Systematic Bacteriology 1974; 24:79-101.

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Record number: 778121