Name: Ureaplasma urealyticum Shepard et al. 1974 (Approved Lists 1980)

Category: Species

Proposed as: sp. nov.

Etymology: u.re.a.ly’ti.cum. Chem. fem. n. urea, urea; N.L. adj. lyticus -a -um, able to loose, able to dissolve; from Gr. adj. lytikos -ê -on, able to loosen, able to dissolve; N.L. neut. adj. urealyticum, urea-dissolving or urea-digesting [probably better: ureilyticum]

Pronunciation, gender: u-re-a-LY-ti-kum, neuter

Type strain: ATCC 27618; CIP 103755; DSM 21275; NCTC 10177; T960

See detailed strain information at

Conduct genome-based taxonomy at

16S rRNA gene: AF073450 Analyse FASTA

Effective publication: Shepard MC, Lunceford CD, Ford DK, Purcell RH, Taylor-Robinson D, Razin S, Black FT. Ureaplasma urealyticum gen. nov., sp. nov.: proposed nomenclature for the human T (T-strain) mycoplasmas. International Journal of Systematic Bacteriology 1974; 24:160-171.

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

• Emendations:
  • Robertson et al. 2002 Robertson JA, Stemke GW, Davis JWJ, Harasawa R, Thirkell D, Kong F, Shepard MC, Ford DK. Proposal of Ureaplasma parvum sp. nov. and emended description of Ureaplasma urealyticum (Shepard et al. 1974) Robertson et al. 2001. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2002; 52:587-597. Anonymous. Notification list. Notification that new names and new combinations have appeared in volume 52, part 2 of the IJSEM. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2002; 52:691-692.
    Notes:
    • 🧍 In the paper by Robertson et al. 2002, Ureaplasma urealyticum is cited as Ureaplasma urealyticum (Shepard et al. 1974) Robertson et al. 2001 (sic). — The strains of Ureaplasma urealyticum Shepard et al. 1974 (Approved Lists 1980) clearly fall into two groups as indicated by many criteria [1]. — 🧍 The strains of Ureaplasma urealyticum Shepard et al. 1974 (Approved Lists 1980) clearly fall into two groups as indicated by many criteria [1]. A manuscript proposing a new species, Ureaplasma parvum, for the group with the smaller genome has been published in the March issue of the IJSEM [2].

• Notes:
  • 🥇 Nomenclatural type of the genus Ureaplasma Shepard et al. 1974 (Approved Lists 1980). Publication: Shepard MC, Lunceford CD, Ford DK, Purcell RH, Taylor-Robinson D, Razin S, Black FT. Ureaplasma urealyticum gen. nov., sp. nov.: proposed nomenclature for the human T (T-strain) mycoplasmas. International Journal of Systematic Bacteriology 1974; 24:160-171.
  • 😷 The risk group for Belgium has been imported on 2024-02-05. The full classification is: risk group = 2, note = "default: 2 human and animal pathogen - biological class of risk animal: 2; biovar 2: 2 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 = "default: 2 Animal classification RG: 1 - Security sensitive biological agent: No - Terrestrial animal pathogen under Canadian Food Inspection Agency authority: No - Containment level: Containment Level 2; biotype 2: 1 Security sensitive biological agent: No - Terrestrial animal pathogen under Canadian Food Inspection Agency authority: No". — 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 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 2370 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.

Parent taxon: Ureaplasma Shepard et al. 1974 (Approved Lists 1980)

Assigned by: Shepard MC, Lunceford CD, Ford DK, Purcell RH, Taylor-Robinson D, Razin S, Black FT. Ureaplasma urealyticum gen. nov., sp. nov.: proposed nomenclature for the human T (T-strain) mycoplasmas. International Journal of Systematic Bacteriology 1974; 24:160-171.

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Record number: 785138