Classification and Nomenclature of Enterobacteriaceae

Abstract

The biochemical and antigenic analysis systems of classification are discussed. In the former, the elementary units, of which the species are constituted, cannot be distinguished as they are by the practical use of antigenic analysis. In the latter, the bacteria are divided by biochemical methods into groups comparable to the recognized genera. These groups are further divided into O-groups and serotypes through the recognition of their constituent antigens by serologic methods. The biochemical system is a taxonomic concept designed for convenience in the orderly classification of bacteria. The antigenic classification is useful in the phylogeny and evolution of bacteria, in the clinical laboratory and in epidemiology. A correlation of these two systems into an antigenic classification is presented along with the biochemical classification of the Salmonella group into the accepted type species (S. cholerasuis, S. typhi, S. enterica (biochemically-defined)). The name S. enterica is substituted for S. kauffmannii which is not bio-chemically defined. A tentative biochemical classification for taxonomic purposes and keys for differentiation of groups and species are given. The relation of Aerobacter and Para-colobactrum aerogenoides to the scheme is not clear.