Bergey’s Classification Of Bacteria: Overview, Systematic Bacteriology

The primary source for identifying prokaryotic organisms, particularly bacterial species, employing every distinguishing trait, is Bergey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology. Bergey's Manual of Determinative Bacteriology, which was published earlier, is still available as a resource for identifying unidentified bacteria. It was first published in 1923 by David Hendricks Bergey and is used to classify bacteria into distinct familial orders according to their structural and functional characteristics. However, in recent years, this process has become more empirical.

Organisation

The new style now featured relationships between organisms and had an increased scope in

general. For a four-volume set that initially started publication in 1984, this new style was

chosen. The data in the volumes were divided into All species of Gram-negative bacteria that

were thought to be of medical and industrial value were covered in Volume 1; all types of

Gram-positive bacteria were covered in Volume 2. The remaining, slightly distinct Gram-

negative bacteria and the Archaea are covered in volume three. Information on filamentous

actinomycetes and other related bacteria can be found in volume 4.

The manual 1980 revision considered the interactions between species as well as an

extended view of bacterial taxonomy. The four volumes in the bundle include:

Volume I: It discusses all Gram-negative bacteria and highlights their significance for both

medical and industrial applications.

Volume II: All the material about Gram-positive bacteria.

Volume III: It also contains information on Archaea and the remaining Gram-negative bacteria.

Volume IV: discusses filamentous actinomycetes and related bacterial species.

Second edition

Volume I: It was released in 2001 and covers the branching phototrophic bacteria and the

archaea.

Volume II: It was released in 2005 and contains information on proteobacteria.

Volume III: It was released in 2009 and contains information about the firms.

Volume IV: was released in 2011. Spirochaetes, Bacteroidetes, Tenericutes (Mollicutes), Chlamydiae, Acidobacteria, Verrucomicrobia, Fusobacteria, Dictyoglomi, Fibrobacteres, Gemmatimonadetes, Lentisphaerae, and Planctomycetes are all mentioned in the article.

Volume V: which was released in 2012, the actinobacteria are discussed.

The First Edition

Bergey divided the kingdom Prokaryotae into four categories in the first edition:

• Gracilicutes: their cell walls are gram-negative.

• Firmicutes: their cell walls are gram-positive.

• Tenericutes: they are organisms without a cell wall.

• Mendosicutes are like Archaea in that they lack peptidoglycan in their cell walls.

Gram staining, the presence of endospores, general shape, motility, morphology, and mode of

Energy production all played a role in this classification. The second edition of Bergey's manual

was based on phylogenetic traits like DNA, RNA, and protein while the first edition is

phenetic. The guidebook for identifying bacteria is currently in its ninth version, which is

significantly different from its predecessors. The microorganisms in this edition are separated

into 35 groups according to the four main divisions. Spirochetes, sulphate-reducing bacteria,

chlamydia, and rickettsia are examples of groups 1 to 16. Groups 17 to 29 are examples of

groups, along with gram-positive cocci, endospore-forming gram-positive cocci, and gram-

positive, non-sporing rods. Group 30 includes Mycoplasma.

Manual trust

To maintain the publication of the Bergey Manual of Determinative Bacteriology and related reference publications, Bergey's Manual Trust was founded in 1936. The Bergey Award and Bergey Medal are also given out by the Trust to honour people who have made remarkable contributions to bacterial taxonomy. These awards are financed equally by the Trust and Springer, the Manual publishers. The online encyclopaedia Bergey Manual Systematics of Archaea and Bacteria is co-published by Bergey's Manual Trust and John Wiley Sons, Inc. (BMSAB). Using the classification supplied by the Genome Taxonomy Database, the Trust agreed to add phylogenomic in the BMSAB in 2019. (GTDB).

Systematic Bacteriology

The Bergey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology, which first appeared in 1923 and is currently in its 9th edition, is a significant taxonomic treatment of bacteria (prokaryotes). This guidebook has been used by the microbiology community for more than 80 years and contains information on all known species of bacteria (prokaryotes). Any conversation about the classification of bacteria (prokaryotes) must include a clear understanding of this guide. This book, which was authored by an expert, offers tables, graphs, and other system data that help identify germs in each chapter. The rights, interests, and ownership of the Manual were given to Dr Bergey by the Society of American Bacteriologists in 1934 so that Bergey could establish The Bergey's Manual Trust, a separate, nonprofit trust. This trust has produced numerous editions of the manual throughout the years and continues to do so while encouraging bacterial taxonomy research. This manual's first eight editions went by the name "Bergey's Manual of Determinative Bacteriology." The first edition of the ninth edition, now known as "Bergey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology," was released in four volumes in 1984, 1986, 1989, and 1991, replacing the previous title. This version of the Manual was the first to bear the new name.

Phylogenetic Classification

Following the release of Bergey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology's first edition, prokaryotic taxonomy made significant strides. It was made possible with the help of more recent molecular techniques, like the sequencing of proteins, DNA, and ribosomal RNA (rRNA). Prokaryotic phylogenetic analysis is now possible because of these tools. The second edition of Bergey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology is primarily phylogenetic rather than phenetic due to the abundance of information on the evolutionary relationships among prokaryotes.