REPLACEMENT OF NCTC-4175, THE CURRENT-TYPE STRAIN OF PROTEUS-VULGARIS, WITH ATCC-29905 REQUEST FOR AN OPINION

The current type strain of Proteus vulgaris, NCTC 4175 (= ATCC 13315), differs substantially from typical strains of this species both bioch emically and chemotaxonomically. DNA relatedness studies revealed that strains previously classified as P. vulgaris belong to six genomospec ies. One of these genomospecies contains strains that are negative in indole, salicin, and esculin reactions (biogroup 1) and has been named Proteus penneri, A second genomospecies, which is most frequently iso lated from human urine, contains typical P. vulgaris strains that are positive in indole, salicin, and esculin reactions (biogroup 2). The m embers of; the remaining four genomospecies are indole positive and ne gative in salicin and esculin reactions (biogroup 3), Of 36 biogroup 3 strains studied, only strain NCTC 4175(T) (T = type strain) and one o ther strain, CDC 1732-80, belong to genomospecies 3, To retain NCTC 41 75 as the type strain of P. vulgaris would restrict this species to th ese two Strains, whose origins are unknown. This' would mean that hund reds of strains for which the description of P. vulgaris was written a nd which have been representatives of this species for the past 50 yea rs would have to be-renamed as members of a new species, To prevent th is confusion, we request that biogroup 2 reference strain ATCC 29905 ( = CDC PR1) replace NCTC 4175 as the type strain of P. vulgaris.