Name: Obesumbacterium proteus (Shimwell and Grimes 1936) Shimwell 1963 (Approved Lists 1980)

Category: Species

Proposed as: comb. nov.

Basonym: "Flavobacterium proteum" Shimwell and Grimes 1936

Etymology: Gr. masc. n. Prôteus, the ancient Greek sea-god noted for being able to change his form at will; Gr. masc. n. prôteus, intended to mean one who is able to be pleomorphic (nominative in apposition)

Gender: neuter

Type strain: ATCC 12841; CCUG 2078; CIP 82.93; DSM 2777; LMG 3054; NCIB 8771; NCIMB 8771; VKM B-964

See detailed strain information at

Conduct genome-based taxonomy at

16S rRNA gene: AJ233422 Analyse FASTA

Effective publication: Shimwell JL. Obesumbacterium gen. nov. Brewers Journal 1963; 99:759-760.

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

Risk group: 1

• Synonyms:

  • Name	Kind
    "Flavobacterium proteum" Shimwell and Grimes 1936	homotypic synonym, not validly published, basonym of name in Approved Lists
    "Hafnia proteus" corrig. (Shimwell and Grimes 1936) Priest et al. 1973	homotypic synonym, not validly published
    "Hafnia protea" (Shimwell and Grimes 1936) Priest et al. 1973	homotypic synonym, inaccurate spelling

• Notes:
  • 🥇 Nomenclatural type of the genus Obesumbacterium Shimwell 1963 (Approved Lists 1980). Publication: Shimwell JL. Obesumbacterium gen. nov. Brewers Journal 1963; 99:759-760.
  • 😷 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 19 times in PubMed until 2025-06-04.
  • 🧍 According to Ludwig et al. (2021), this "species is susceptible to being reclassified as Hafnia". Publication: Ludwig W, Viver T, Westram R, Francisco Gago J, Bustos-Caparros E, Knittel K, Amann R, Rossello-Mora R. Release LTP_12_2020, featuring a new ARB alignment and improved 16S rRNA tree for prokaryotic type strains. Syst Appl Microbiol 2021; 44:126218. 🇪🇸
  • 🧍 See also: Publication: Priest FG, Barker M. Gram-negative bacteria associated with brewery yeasts: reclassification of Obesumbacterium proteus biogroup 2 as Shimwellia pseudoproteus gen. nov., sp. nov., and transfer of Escherichia blattae to Shimwellia blattae comb. nov. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2010; 60:828-833. 🇬🇧
  • 🧍 See also: Publication: Holmes B, Farmer Iii JJ. International Committee on Systematics of Prokaryotes Subcommittee on the taxonomy of Enterobacteriaceae. Minutes of the meetings, 7 August 2008, Istanbul, Turkey. Int. J. Syst. Evol. Microbiol. 2009; 59:2643-2645. 🇬🇧
  • 🧍 The citation of authors for the name Obesumbacterium proteus is different from the one that appears on the Approved Lists 1980, which omit "Shimwell and Grimes 1936". Presumably this was an inadvertent omission. Publication: Farmer Iii JJ. Other genera of the family Enterobacteriaceae. In: Krieg NR, Holt JG (eds), Bergey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology, first edition, vol. 1, The Williams & Wilkins Co, Baltimore, 1984, p. 506-516. 🇺🇸
  • 🧍 There are two DNA-DNA hybridisation groups (HG) within Obesumbacterium proteus; these are separable by biochemical characters and DNA-DNA hybridisation. The type strain (ATCC 12841) falls in Group 1. In April 2010, Priest and Barker validly publish the name Shimwellia pseudoproteus for Obesumbacterium proteus HG2 strains. Publication: Priest FG, Somerville HJ, Cole JA, Hough JS. The taxonomic position of Obesumbacterium proteus, a common brewery contaminant. J Gen Microbiol 1973; 75:295-307.

Parent taxon: Obesumbacterium Shimwell 1963 (Approved Lists 1980)

Assigned by: Shimwell JL. Obesumbacterium gen. nov. Brewers Journal 1963; 99:759-760.

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Record number: 778923