Species Neisseria ovis

Name: Neisseria ovis Lindqvist 1960 (Approved Lists 1980)

Category, proposed as: species, sp. nov.

Etymology: o’vis. L. gen. fem. n. ovis, of the sheep

Pronunciation (Latin), gender: ne͡is-SE-ri-a O-wis, feminine

Type strain: 199/55; ATCC 33078; CCUG 354; DSM 18075; LMG 8381; NCTC 11227

See detailed strain information at

Conduct genome-based taxonomy at

16S rRNA gene: AF005186 Analyse FASTA

Effective publication: Lindqvist K. A Neisseria species associated with infectious keratoconjunctivitis of sheep--Neisseria ovis Nov. Spec. J Infect Dis 1960; 106:162-165.

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: Moraxella ovis (Lindqvist 1960) Henriksen and Bøvre 1968 (Approved Lists 1980)

Risk group: 2

• Synonyms:

  • Name	Kind
    Moraxella ovis (Lindqvist 1960) Henriksen and Bøvre 1968 (Approved Lists 1980)	homotypic synonym, validly published under the ICNP

• Notes:
  • ❗ Neisseria ovis 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 Neisseria.
  • 😷 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 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 2026-08-13. The full classification is: risk group = 2, note = "t". — 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 18 times in PubMed until 2026-06-11.
  • 🙅 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.
  • 🧍 However, the type strain was not cited [see Rule 27(3)] and this new combination did not appear in the Notification List published in the July 1993 issue of the IJSB [2]. Publication: Anonymous. Notification list. Notification that new names and new combinations have appeared in volume 43, part 2 of the IJSB. Int J Syst Bacteriol 1993; 43:625.
  • 🧍 In the April 1993 issue of the IJSB, M. Véron et al. [1] proposed that Neisseria ovis should be called Branhamella ovis. Publication: Veron M, Lenvoise-Furet A, Coustere C, Ged C, Grimont F. Relatedness of three species of "false neisseriae," Neisseria caviae, Neisseria cuniculi, and Neisseria ovis, by DNA-DNA hybridizations and fatty acid analysis. Int J Syst Bacteriol 1993; 43:210-220.

Parent taxon: Neisseria Trevisan 1885 (Approved Lists 1980)

Assigned by: Lindqvist K. A Neisseria species associated with infectious keratoconjunctivitis of sheep--Neisseria ovis Nov. Spec. J Infect Dis 1960; 106:162-165.

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Record number: 784469