Bergey's Manual of Determinative Bacteriology
Encyclopedia
The Bergey’s Manual of Systematic Bacteriology is the main resource for determining the identity of bacteria
species, utilizing every characterizing aspect.
The manual was published subsequent to the Bergey's Manual of Determinative Bacteriology, though the latter is still published as a guide for identifying unknown bacteria.
First published in 1923 by David Hendricks Bergey
, it is used to classify bacteria based on their structural and functional attributes by arranging them into specific familial orders. However, this process has become more empirical
in recent years.
Volume 1 included information on all types of Gram-negative bacteria that were considered to have "medical and industrial importance." Volume 2 included information on all types of Gram-positive bacteria. Volume 3 deals with all of the remaining, slightly different Gram-negative bacteria, along with the archaea
. Volume 4 has information on filamentous
actinomycetes
and other, similar bacteria.
The current volumes differ drastically from previous volumes in that many higher taxa are not defined in terms of phenotype, but solely on 16S phylogeny, as is the case of the classes within Proteobacteria.
The current grouping is as follows:
described the volumes as "clearly written, precise, and easy to read" and "particularly designed for those interested in taxonomy."
Bacteria
Bacteria are a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria have a wide range of shapes, ranging from spheres to rods and spirals...
species, utilizing every characterizing aspect.
The manual was published subsequent to the Bergey's Manual of Determinative Bacteriology, though the latter is still published as a guide for identifying unknown bacteria.
First published in 1923 by David Hendricks Bergey
David Hendricks Bergey
David Hendricks Bergey was an American bacteriologist, born December 27, 1860 in Skippack, Pennsylvania, died September 5, 1937 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
, it is used to classify bacteria based on their structural and functional attributes by arranging them into specific familial orders. However, this process has become more empirical
Empirical
The word empirical denotes information gained by means of observation or experimentation. Empirical data are data produced by an experiment or observation....
in recent years.
Organization
The change in volume set to "Systematic Bacteriology" came in a new contract in 1980, whereupon the new style included "relationships between organisms" and had "expanded scope" overall. This new style was picked up for a four volume set that first began publishing in 1984. The information in the volumes were separated as follows:Volume 1 included information on all types of Gram-negative bacteria that were considered to have "medical and industrial importance." Volume 2 included information on all types of Gram-positive bacteria. Volume 3 deals with all of the remaining, slightly different Gram-negative bacteria, along with the archaea
Archaea
The Archaea are a group of single-celled microorganisms. A single individual or species from this domain is called an archaeon...
. Volume 4 has information on filamentous
Filamentation
Filamentation is the anomalous growth of certain bacteria, such as E. coli, in which cells continue to elongate but do not divide . Bacterial filamentation is often observed as a result of bacteria responding to various stresses, including DNA damage or inhibition of replication...
actinomycetes
Actinomycetales
Actinomycetales is an order of Actinobacteria. They are very diverse and contain a variety of subdivisions as well as yet unclassified isolates. This is mainly because some genera are very difficult to classify because of a highly niche-dependent phenotype...
and other, similar bacteria.
The current volumes differ drastically from previous volumes in that many higher taxa are not defined in terms of phenotype, but solely on 16S phylogeny, as is the case of the classes within Proteobacteria.
The current grouping is as follows:
- Volume I (2001): The ArchaeaArchaeaThe Archaea are a group of single-celled microorganisms. A single individual or species from this domain is called an archaeon...
and the deeply branching and phototrophic Bacteria
- Volume II (2005): The ProteobacteriaProteobacteriaThe Proteobacteria are a major group of bacteria. They include a wide variety of pathogens, such as Escherichia, Salmonella, Vibrio, Helicobacter, and many other notable genera....
— divided into three books:- IIA: Introductory essays
- IIB: The GammaproteobacteriaGammaproteobacteriaGammaproteobacteria is a class of several medically, ecologically and scientifically important groups of bacteria, such as the Enterobacteriaceae , Vibrionaceae and Pseudomonadaceae. An exceeding number of important pathogens belongs to this class, e.g...
- IIC: Other classes of Proteobacteria
- Volume III (2009): The FirmicutesFirmicutesThe Firmicutes are a phylum of bacteria, most of which have Gram-positive cell wall structure. A few, however, such as Megasphaera, Pectinatus, Selenomonas and Zymophilus, have a porous pseudo-outer-membrane that causes them to stain Gram-negative...
- Volume IV (2010): The BacteroidetesBacteroidetesThe phylum Bacteroidetes is composed of three large classes of bacteria that are widely distributed in the environment, including in soil, in sediments, sea water and in the guts and on the skin of animals....
, Spirochaetes, TenericutesTenericutesTenericutes is a phylum of bacteria that contains the Class Mollicutes. The name was validated in 1984 as a new division ....
(Mollicutes), AcidobacteriaAcidobacteriaAcidobacteria are a newly devised phylum of Bacteria, whose members are physiologically diverse and ubiquitous, especially in soils, but are under-represented in culture....
, FibrobacteresFibrobacteresFibrobacteres is a small bacterial phylum which includes many of the major rumen bacteria, allowing for the degradation of plant-based cellulose in ruminant animals. Members of this phylum were categorized in other phyla...
, FusobacteriaFusobacteriaFusobacteria are obligately anaerobic non-sporeforming gram-negative bacilli. Since the first reports in the late nineteenth century, various names have been applied to these organisms, sometimes with the same name being applied to different species...
, Dictyoglomi, GemmatimonadetesGemmatimonadetesThe Gemmatimonadetes are a family of bacteria, given their own phylum . The first member of this phylum was discovered in 2003 in activated sludge in a sewage treatment system. The bacteria was named Gemmatimonas aurantiaca and is a gram-negative rod-shaped aerobe that appears to replicate by...
, LentisphaeraeLentisphaeraeLentisphaerae is a phylum of bacteria closely related to Chlamydiae and Verrucomicrobia.It includes two monotypic orders Lentisphaerales and Victivallales. Phylum members can be aerobic or anaerobic and fall under two distinct phenotypes. One consists of terrestrial gut microbiota from mammals...
, VerrucomicrobiaVerrucomicrobiaVerrucomicrobia is a recently described phylum of bacteria. This phylum contains only a few described species . The species identified have been isolated from fresh water and soil environments and human feces...
, ChlamydiaeChlamydiaeChlamydiae is a bacterial phylum and class whose members are obligate intracellular pathogens. Many Chlamydiae coexist in an asymptomatic state within specific hosts, and it is widely believed that these hosts provide a natural reservoir for these species....
, and PlanctomycetesPlanctomycetesPlanctomycetes are a phylum of aquatic bacteria and are found in samples of brackish, and marine and fresh water. They reproduce by budding. In structure, the organisms of this group are ovoid and have a holdfast, called the stalk, at the nonreproductive end that helps them to attach to each other...
- Volume V (2011): The ActinobacteriaActinobacteriaActinobacteria are a group of Gram-positive bacteria with high guanine and cytosine content. They can be terrestrial or aquatic. Actinobacteria is one of the dominant phyla of the bacteria....
Critical reception
The Annals of Internal MedicineAnnals of Internal Medicine
Annals of Internal Medicine is an academic medical journal published by the American College of Physicians . It publishes research articles and reviews in the area of internal medicine. Its current editor is Christine Laine...
described the volumes as "clearly written, precise, and easy to read" and "particularly designed for those interested in taxonomy."