The suffix -bacter is used in microbiology for many genera and is intended to mean "bacteria".
The suffix -bacter is used in microbiology for many genera and is intended to mean "bacteria".
Bacter is a Neo-Latin (i.e. Modern Latin) term coined from bacterium, which in turn derives from the Greek βακτήριον, meaning small staff (diminutive of βακτηρία). Consequently, it formally means "rod". It differs from the suffix -bacterium in grammatical gender, as the suffix -bacter is male, whereas the suffix -bacterium) is neuter; this was decided in Juridical (or Judicial) Opinion n° 3 of the Bacteriological Code. [1]
Nevertheless, for historical reasons, two archaeal species finish in -bacter: Methanobrevibacter and Methanothermobacter .
Juridical Opinion n° 2 in the Bacteriological Code discusses the declension of the word, given that authors differently assumed the genitive case of bacter to be bactris (3rd declension words of Latin origin ending in =ter), bacteri (2nd declension) or bacteris (3rd declension, used for words of Greek origin, such as astris). The Opinion opts for the latter: consequently, higher taxa are formed with the stem =bacter- and not =bactr-. In Juridical Opinion n° 3 it was established to be masculine. [2] For example, Campylobacter is a genus of Campylobacterales . These rules were established so that the specific epithets were paired with the correct gender as imposed by the Bacteriological Code and the correct higher taxon names were formed. [3] An interesting effect of this is that the genus Fibrobacter gives its name both to the phylum Fibrobacteres , which obeys Latin grammar, and to the class Fibrobacteria , which follows the recommendation of using the suffix -ia [4]
"Candidatus Pelagibacter", with the single species "Ca. P. communis", was isolated in 2002 and given a specific name, although it has not yet been described as required by the bacteriological code. It is an abundant member of the SAR11 clade in the phylum Alphaproteobacteria. SAR11 members are highly dominant organisms found in both salt and fresh water worldwide and were originally known only from their rRNA genes, first identified in the Sargasso Sea in 1990 by Stephen Giovannoni's laboratory at Oregon State University and later found in oceans worldwide. "Ca. P. communis" and its relatives may be the most abundant organisms in the ocean, and quite possibly the most abundant bacteria in the entire world. It can make up about 25% of all microbial plankton cells, and in the summer they may account for approximately half the cells present in temperate ocean surface water. The total abundance of "Ca. P. communis" and relatives is estimated to be about 2 × 1028 microbes.
Bacillus megaterium is a rod-like, Gram-positive, mainly aerobic, spore forming bacterium found in widely diverse habitats. It has a cell length up to 100 μm and a diameter of 0.1 μm, which is quite large for bacteria. The cells often occur in pairs and chains, where the cells are joined by polysaccharides on the cell walls.
Bacterial taxonomy is subfield of taxonomy devoted to the classification of bacteria specimens into taxonomic ranks.
Cystobacter is a genus in the phylum Myxococcota (Bacteria).
Acetomicrobium is a genus in the phylum Synergistota (Bacteria). In 2016, the former genus Anaerobaculum was folded into Acetomicrobium.
Thermoanaerobacter is a genus in the phylum Bacillota (Bacteria). Members of this genus are thermophilic and anaerobic, several of them were previously described as Clostridium species and members of the now obsolete genera Acetogenium and Thermobacteroides
Acidaminobacter is a genus in the phylum Bacillota (Bacteria).
Acidomonas is a genus in the phylum Pseudomonadota (Bacteria). The genus contains single species, namely A. methanolica, formerly known as Acetobacter methanolicus
Actinocorallia is a genus in the phylum Actinomycetota (Bacteria).
Actinosynnema is a genus in the phylum Actinomycetota (Bacteria).
Dehalobacter is a genus in the phylum Bacillota (Bacteria).
Dehalogenimonas is a genus in the phylum Chloroflexota (Bacteria). Members of the genus Dehalogenimonas can be referred to as dehalogenimonads.
Dendrosporobacter is a genus in the phylum Bacillota (Bacteria). Members of the class Negativicutes, stain gram negative, despite being firmicutes
Albibacter is a genus in the phylum Pseudomonadota (Bacteria).
Cryptosporangium is a genus of bacteria in the phylum Actinomycetota.
Cryptanaerobacter is a genus in the phylum Bacillota (Bacteria).
Stigmatella is a bacterium genus in the phylum Myxococcota.
Desulfobacula is a bacterial genus in the family Desulfobacteraceae.
Desulfobacula phenolica is a bacterium species in the genus Desulfobacula.
Selenomonas sputigena is a species of anaerobe Gram-negative bacteria that is found in the upper respiratory tract of humans. It is the type species of the genus Selenomonas, with the type strain VPI D 19B-28. It is known to cause blood infection (sepsis), gum inflammation, and tooth decay. It alone cannot damage the tooth enamel, but worsen the damage done by other bacteria such as Streptococcus mutans,Porphyromonas gingivalis, Treponema denticola, and Tannerella forsythia.