Name: Treponema pallidum (Schaudinn and Hoffmann 1905) Schaudinn 1905 (Approved Lists 1980)

Category: Species

Proposed as: comb. nov.

Basonym: "Spirochaeta pallida" Schaudinn and Hoffmann 1905

Etymology: pal’li.dum. L. neut. adj. pallidum, pale, pallid

Pronunciation (Latin), gender: … PAL-li-dum, neuter

Type strain: BEI NR-59701; DSM 117211; Nichols; no culture available originally; no type strain designated originally

Conduct genome-based taxonomy at

16S rRNA gene: JX120541 Analyse FASTA

Effective publication: Schaudinn F. Korrespondenzen. Deutsche Medizinische Wochenschrift 1905; 31:1728.

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
    "Spirochaeta pallida" Schaudinn and Hoffmann 1905	homotypic synonym, not validly published, basonym of name in Approved Lists

• Emendations:
  • Norris 2025 Norris SJ. Establishment of the Nichols strain as the type strain of Treponema pallidum. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2025; 75:6697. 🇺🇸 Oren A, Göker M. Notification list. Notification that new names and new combinations have appeared in volume 75, part 2 of the IJSEM. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2025; 75:6728.

• Notes:
  • 🥇 Nomenclatural type of the genus Treponema Schaudinn 1905 (Approved Lists 1980). Publication: Schaudinn F. Korrespondenzen. Deutsche Medizinische Wochenschrift 1905; 31:1728.
  • 😷 The risk group for Belgium has been imported on 2024-02-05. The full classification is: risk group = 2, note = "default: 2 human pathogen; pertenue: 2 human pathogen; var. cuniculi: 1 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: 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. — 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. — The risk group for United States has been imported on 2024-02-09. 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 5633 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. 🇬🇧
  • 🧍 According to Yarza et al. (2013), an "un-sequenced orphan species where descriptions, illustrations or dead preserved material serve as the type.". Publication: Yarza P, Sproer C, Swiderski J, Mrotzek N, Spring S, Tindall BJ, Gronow S, Pukall R, Klenk HP, Lang E, et al. Sequencing orphan species initiative (SOS): Filling the gaps in the 16S rRNA gene sequence database for all species with validly published names. Syst Appl Microbiol 2013; 36:69-73. 🇩🇪

Subdivision:

Number of child taxa with a validly published and correct name: 0
Number of child taxa with a validly published name, including synonyms: 0
Total number of child taxa: 2

• Child taxa:

  • Name	Nomenclatural status	Taxonomic status
    "Treponema pallidum subsp. endemicum" Smibert 1984	not validly published	preferred name
    "Treponema pallidum subsp. pertenue" (Castellani 1905) Smibert 1984	not validly published	synonym

Parent taxon: Treponema Schaudinn 1905 (Approved Lists 1980)

Assigned by: Schaudinn F. Korrespondenzen. Deutsche Medizinische Wochenschrift 1905; 31:1728.

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Record number: 785115