SOFTWARE TOOLS AND DATABASES FOR BACTERIAL SYSTEMATICS AND THEIR DISSEMINATION VIA GLOBAL NETWORKS

The dynamic expansion of the taxonomic knowledge base is fundamental t o further developments in biotechnology and sustainable conservation s trategies. The vast array of software tools for numerical taxonomy and probabilistic identification, in conjunction with automated systems f or data generation are allowing the construction of large computerised strain databases. New techniques available for the generation of chem ical and molecular data, associated with new software tools for data a nalysis, are leading to a quantum leap in bacterial systematics. The e asy exchange of data through an interactive and highly distributed glo bal computer network, such as the Internet, is facilitating the dissem ination of taxonomic data. Relevant information for comparative sequen ce analysis, ribotyping, protein and DNA electrophoretic pattern analy sis is available on-line through computerised networks. Several softwa re packages are available for the analysis of molecular data. Nomencla tural and taxonomic 'Authority Files' are available from different sou rces together with strain specific information. The increasing availab ility of public domain software, is leading to the establishment and i ntegration of public domain databases all over the world, and promotin g co-operative research projects on a scale never seen before.