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Species Mycobacterium abscessus
Name: Mycobacterium abscessus (Moore and Frerichs 1953) Kusunoki and Ezaki 1992
Basonym: "Mycobacterium abscessus" Moore and Frerichs 1953
Etymology: abs.ces’sus. L. gen. masc. n. abscessus, of an abscess, referring to the ability of the organism to form abscesses
Pronunciation, gender: abs-KES-sus, neuter
Type strain: ATCC 19977; CCUG 20993; CIP 104536; DSM 43491; DSM 44196; Hauduroy L948; JCM 13569; L948; NCTC 13031; TMC 1543
See detailed strain information at
Conduct genome-based taxonomy at
16S rRNA gene:
AB548599
Analyse
FASTA
Valid publication:
Kusunoki S, Ezaki T. Proposal of Mycobacterium peregrinum sp. nov., nom. rev., and elevation of Mycobacterium chelonae subsp. abscessus (Kubica et al.) to species status: Mycobacterium abscessus comb. nov. Int J Syst Bacteriol 1992; 42:240-245. 
IJSEM list:
Anonymous. Validation list no. 42. Validation of publication of new names and new combinations previously effectively published outside the IJSB. Int J Syst Bacteriol 1992; 42:511.
Nomenclatural status: validly published under the ICNP
Taxonomic status: correct name (and explicitly recommended for medical use)
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Synonyms:
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Name Kind Mycobacterium chelonae subsp. abscessus corrig. (Moore and Frerichs 1953) Kubica et al. 1972 (Approved Lists 1980) homotypic synonym, validly published under the ICNP, distinct rank Mycobacteroides abscessus (Moore and Frerichs 1953) Gupta et al. 2018 homotypic synonym, validly published under the ICNP Mycobacterium chelonei subsp. abscessus (Moore and Frerichs 1953) Kubica et al. 1972 (Approved Lists 1980) homotypic synonym, inaccurate spelling, distinct rank "Mycobacterium abscessus" Moore and Frerichs 1953 homotypic synonym, not validly published, basonym of name in Approved Lists
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Emendations:
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Leao et al. 2011
Leao SC, Tortoli E, Euzeby JP, Garcia MJ. Proposal that Mycobacterium massiliense and Mycobacterium bolletii be united and reclassified as Mycobacterium abscessus subsp. bolletii comb. nov., designation of Mycobacterium abscessus subsp. abscessus subsp. nov. and emended description of Mycobacterium abscessus. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2011; 61:2311-2313.
Euzeby JP. Notification list. Notification that new names and new combinations have appeared in volume 61, part 9 of the IJSEM. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2011; 61:2797-2798.
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Tortoli et al. 2016
Tortoli E, Kohl TA, Brown-Elliott BA, Trovato A, Leao SC, Garcia MJ, Vasireddy S, Turenne CY, Griffith DE, Philley JV, et al. Emended description of Mycobacterium abscessus, Mycobacterium abscessus subsp. abscessus and Mycobacteriumabscessus subsp. bolletii and designation of Mycobacteriumabscessus subsp. massiliense comb. nov. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2016; 66:4471-4479.
Oren A, Garrity GM. Notification list. Notification that new names and new combinations have appeared in volume 66, part 11 of the IJSEM. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2017; 67:179-182.
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Leao et al. 2011
Leao SC, Tortoli E, Euzeby JP, Garcia MJ. Proposal that Mycobacterium massiliense and Mycobacterium bolletii be united and reclassified as Mycobacterium abscessus subsp. bolletii comb. nov., designation of Mycobacterium abscessus subsp. abscessus subsp. nov. and emended description of Mycobacterium abscessus. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2011; 61:2311-2313.
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Notes:
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⏰ According to Sassi and Drancourt (2014), this species is not an earlier heterotypic synonym of Mycobacterium bolletii Adékambi et al. 2006.
Publication:
Sassi M, Drancourt M. Genome analysis reveals three genomospecies in Mycobacterium abscessus. BMC Genomics 2014; 15:359.
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⏰ According to Sassi and Drancourt (2014), this species is not an earlier heterotypic synonym of Mycobacterium massiliense Adékambi et al. 2006.
Publication:
Sassi M, Drancourt M. Genome analysis reveals three genomospecies in Mycobacterium abscessus. BMC Genomics 2014; 15:359.
- 😷 The risk group for Belgium has been imported on 2024-02-05. The full classification is: risk group = 2, note = "human and 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 = 2, 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 = 2. — The risk group for Germany has been imported on 2023-10-29. The full classification is: risk group = 2, note = "ht". — 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 2597 times in PubMed until 2025-06-04.
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🫡 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 the species itself. This name is not taxonomically suspended any more in favour of Mycobacterium chelonae corrig. Bergey et al. 1923 (Approved Lists 1980).
Publication:
Bergey DH, Harrison FC, Breed RS, Hammer BW, Huntoon FM. Bergey’s Manual of Determinative Bacteriology, 1st ed. The Williams and Wilkins Co., Baltimore, 1923.
Skerman VBD, McGowan V, Sneath PHA. Approved lists of bacterial names. Int J Syst Bacteriol 1980; 30:225-420.
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🧍 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.
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⏰ According to Sassi and Drancourt (2014), this species is not an earlier heterotypic synonym of Mycobacterium bolletii Adékambi et al. 2006.
Publication:
Sassi M, Drancourt M. Genome analysis reveals three genomospecies in Mycobacterium abscessus. BMC Genomics 2014; 15:359.
Number of child taxa with a validly published and correct name: 3
Number of child taxa with a validly published name, including synonyms: 3
Total number of child taxa: 3
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Child taxa:
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Name Nomenclatural status Taxonomic status Mycobacterium abscessus subsp. abscessus (Moore and Frerichs 1953) Leao et al. 2011 validly published under the ICNP correct name Mycobacterium abscessus subsp. bolletii (Adékambi et al. 2006) Leao et al. 2011 validly published under the ICNP correct name Mycobacterium abscessus subsp. massiliense (Adékambi et al. 2006) Tortoli et al. 2016 validly published under the ICNP correct name
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Parent taxon: Mycobacterium Lehmann and Neumann 1896 (Approved Lists 1980)
Assigned by:
Kusunoki S, Ezaki T. Proposal of Mycobacterium peregrinum sp. nov., nom. rev., and elevation of Mycobacterium chelonae subsp. abscessus (Kubica et al.) to species status: Mycobacterium abscessus comb. nov. Int J Syst Bacteriol 1992; 42:240-245.
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Record number: 778388
This LPSN page was printed on 2025-12-06 07:16:27