The Editorial Board for the International Code of Nomenclature of Prokaryotes (ICNP) and the publishing team of the International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology (IJSEM), the Microbiological Society (MS) and the International Union of Microbiological Societies (IUMS) announce the publication of the emended International Code of Nomenclature of Prokaryotes (ICNP), 2022 revision. This revision is an update of the 2008 revision.
See: https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/ijsem/10.1099/ijsem.0.005585
The International Committee on Systematics of Prokaryotes (ICSP), formerly the International Committee on Systematic Bacteriology (ICSB), is a committee of appointed representatives from the national microbiological societies and co-opted members that oversees the nomenclature of prokaryotes, determines the rules by which prokaryotes are named, as documented in the International Code of Nomenclature of Prokaryotes (ICNP), and supervises the publishing of the International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology (IJSEM). The functions of the ICSP are described in the Statutes of the International Committee on Systematics of Prokaryotes. ICSP is a committee under the Bacteriology and Applied Microbiology Division of the International Union of Microbiological Societies (IUMS). The Judicial Commission of the ICSP issues Opinions concerning matters related to the interpretation of the ICNP.
In the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, bacteriologists followed the provisions of the Botanical Code of Nomenclature, because bacteria had traditionally been considered to be fungi, i.e., the Schizomycetes. However, the methods of study were very different for plants and bacteria. In bacteriology, emphasis was put on cultural characteristics and viable cultures for nomenclatural type material. Type cultures are not permitted under the Botanical Code; therefore, at the First International Congress of Microbiology in Paris in 1930, proposals were made for bacteriology to establish its own Code of Nomenclature. A committee under the guidance of the American bacteriologist R. E. Buchanan began work on this and, at the Second Congress in London in 1936, a draft Code was presented and placed under the aegis of the International Committee for Bacteriological Nomenclature [later, the International Committee on Systematic Bacteriology (ICSB), and now, the ICSP]. Buchanan condensed the provisions for nomenclature into a few broad principles that are still valid today. Editions of the International Code of Nomenclature of Bacteria (ICNB), latterly, the International Code of Nomenclature of Prokaryotes (ICNP), were issued in 1958, 1975, 1990 and 2019. A new revision was published in 2023.
References
Whitman, W.B., C. T. Bull, H.-J. Busse, P.-E. Fournier, A. Oren, S. Ventura. 2019. Request for revision of the Statutes of the International Committee on Systematics of Prokaryotes. Int. J. Syst. Evol. Microbiol. 69: 584-593. DOI 10.1099/ijsem.0.003117
Oren, A., D.R. Arahal, M. Göker, E.R.B. Moore, R. Rossello-Mora, I.C.Suttcliffe. 2023. International Code of Nomenclature of Prokaryotes. Prokaryotic Code (2022 Revision). Int. J. Syst. Evol. Microbiol. 73: 005585. DOI 10.1099/ijsem.0.005585
Contacts
ICSP Chair: Edward Moore, PhD, Professor of Bacteriology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg and CCUG, Gothenburg, Sweden, Phone: +46-70-259-8355; link: www.ccug.se/about/contact
ICSP Executive Secretary: Aharon Oren, PhD, Professor of Microbial Ecology.Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 9190401 Jerusalem, Israel. Phone: +972-2-65-84951.
ICSP on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ICSP_news and https://nitter.net/icsp_news
ICSP Slack channel: https://icnp-revision.slack.com
Requests to change or update information should be sent to the ICSP Website Manager, Edward Moore: www.ccug.se/about/contact