布鲁氏菌属的细胞内病原体在系统发育上接近苍白杆菌,一组不同的自由生活的细菌,其中一些物种偶尔会感染医学上受损的患者。最近,一组分类学家根据全球基因组分析以及与分枝杆菌等属的等效性,将布鲁氏菌属中的所有苍白杆菌属生物包括在内。这里,我们证明这种等效性是不正确的,因为它们忽略了致病性的复杂性。通过总结布鲁氏菌和苍白杆菌在生活方式上的差异,结构,生理学,人口,封闭与开放的pangenomes,基因组性状,和致病性,我们表明,当它们被充分理解时,它们在分类学上高度相关,而不是一维定量特征。因此,嗜铬杆菌和布鲁氏菌的差异不仅限于它们被分配到不同的“风险组”,生物学(因此,分类学)过于简化的描述,此外,不支持忽略nomenpericulosum规则,正如提议的。自从流行病学以来,预防,诊断,和治疗完全无关,将自由生活的苍白杆菌与高致病性布鲁氏菌合并给兽医带来了明显的风险,医生,和公共卫生当局面对布鲁氏菌病,世界范围内的一种重要的人畜共患病。因此,从分类学和实践的角度来看,布鲁氏菌属和苍白杆菌属必须分开。因此,我们敦促研究人员,文化收藏,和数据库,以保持其规范命名。
The intracellular pathogens of the genus Brucella are phylogenetically close to Ochrobactrum, a diverse group of free-living bacteria with a few species occasionally infecting medically compromised patients. A group of taxonomists recently included all Ochrobactrum organisms in the genus Brucella based on global genome analyses and alleged equivalences with genera such as Mycobacterium. Here, we demonstrate that such equivalencies are incorrect because they overlook the complexities of pathogenicity. By summarizing Brucella and Ochrobactrum divergences in lifestyle, structure, physiology, population, closed versus open pangenomes, genomic traits, and pathogenicity, we show that when they are adequately understood, they are highly relevant in taxonomy and not unidimensional quantitative characters. Thus, the Ochrobactrum and Brucella differences are not limited to their assignments to different \"risk-groups\", a biologically (and hence, taxonomically) oversimplified description that, moreover, does not support ignoring the nomen periculosum rule, as proposed. Since the epidemiology, prophylaxis, diagnosis, and treatment are thoroughly unrelated, merging free-living Ochrobactrum organisms with highly pathogenic Brucella organisms brings evident risks for veterinarians, medical doctors, and public health authorities who confront brucellosis, a significant zoonosis worldwide. Therefore, from taxonomical and practical standpoints, the Brucella and Ochrobactrum genera must be maintained apart. Consequently, we urge researchers, culture collections, and databases to keep their canonical nomenclature.