Name: Providencia alcalifaciens (de Salles Gomes 1944) Ewing 1962 (Approved Lists 1980)

Category: Species

Proposed as: comb. nov.

Basonym: "Eberthella alcalifaciens" de Salles Gomes 1944

Etymology: al.ca.li.fa’ci.ens. N.L. neut. n. alcali, alkali (indeclinable); from Arabic article al, the; from Arabic masc. n. qaly, ashes of saltwort; L. pres. part. faciens, making; N.L. fem. part. adj. alcalifaciens, alkali-producing

Pronunciation (Latin), gender: … al-ka-li-FA-ki-ens, feminine

Type strain: ATCC 9886; CCUG 6325; CIP 82.90; DSM 30120; JCM 1673; NCTC 10286

See detailed strain information at

Conduct genome-based taxonomy at

16S rRNA gene: AJ301684 Analyse FASTA

Effective publication: Ewing WH. The tribe Proteae: its nomenclature and taxonomy. International Bulletin of Bacteriological Nomenclature and Taxonomy 1962; 12:93-102.

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: 2

• Synonyms:

  • Name	Kind
    "Eberthella alcalifaciens" de Salles Gomes 1944	homotypic synonym, not validly published, basonym of name in Approved Lists
    "Bacillus inconstans" Ornstein 1920	homotypic synonym, not validly published, basonym of name in Approved Lists
    Proteus inconstans (Ornstein 1920) Shaw and Clarke 1955 (Approved Lists 1980)	homotypic synonym, validly published under the ICNP

• Notes:
  • 🥇 Nomenclatural type of the genus Providencia Ewing 1962 (Approved Lists 1980). Publication: Ewing WH. The Tribe Proteae: its nomenclature and taxonomy. International Bulletin of Bacteriological Nomenclature and Taxonomy 1962; 12:93-102.
  • 😷 The risk group for Belgium has been imported on 2024-02-05. The full classification is: risk group = 2, note = "default: 2 human pathogen; biogroup 3: 2 human pathogen". — The risk group for Canada has been imported on 2024-02-27. The full classification is: risk group = 2, note = "Animal classification RG: 1 - 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". — The risk group for France has been imported on 2024-08-30. The full classification is: risk group = 2. — The risk group for Sweden has been imported on 2024-02-05. The full classification is: risk group = 2. — The risk group for Taiwan has been imported on 2024-11-03. The full classification is: risk group = 2, note = "P650 = v". — The risk group for United Kingdom has been imported on 2024-01-31. The full classification is: risk group = 2. — 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 161 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 risk group 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. 🇬🇧
  • 🧍 This name was subject to a comment on a Request for an Opinion. Publication: Li MS. On the priority between Yokenella regensburgei Kosako et al. 1985 and Koserella trabulsii Hickman-Brenner et al. 1985 and on the priority between Providencia alcalifaciens (de Salles Gomes 1944) Ewing 1962 (Approved Lists 1980) and Proteus inconstans (Ornstein 1920) Shaw and Clarke 1955 (Approved Lists 1980). Requests for an Opinion. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2025; 75:6746. 🇹🇼

Parent taxon: Providencia Ewing 1962 (Approved Lists 1980)

Assigned by: Ewing WH. The tribe Proteae: its nomenclature and taxonomy. International Bulletin of Bacteriological Nomenclature and Taxonomy 1962; 12:93-102.

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Record number: 779886