Bacillus spizizenii

 

The American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) #6633 bacterium Bacillus subtilis subsp. spizizenii (commonly Bacillus subtilis) has been reclassified as Bacillus spizizenii.

The change was the result of whole genome sequencing and the paper triggering the change was issued in 2020. However, several culture collections (and providers of cultures) were slow to adopt the taxonomic change.

Bacillus subtilis encompassed four subspecies: Bacillus subtilis subsp. subtilis, Bacillus subtilis subsp. inaquosorum, Bacillus subtilis subsp. spizizenii and Bacillus subtilis subsp. stercoris.

As a result of the research, each has become a separate species. Bacillus spizizenii is retained as the strain commonly used by the world’s culture collections for activities including growth promotion testing.

Reference:

Christopher A. Dunlap . Michael J. Bowman . Daniel R. Zeigler. Promotion of Bacillus subtilis subsp. inaquosorum, Bacillus subtilis subsp. spizizenii and Bacillus subtilis subsp. stercoris to species status. Antonie van Leeuwenhoek (2020) 113:1–12
 

Posted by Dr. Tim Sandle, Pharmaceutical Microbiology Resources (http://www.pharmamicroresources.com/)