Commentary
NOMENCLATURE OF CUTANEOUS MICROCOCCACEAE: ON THE BRINK OF CHAOS DAVID J. BIBEL, Ph.D., RAZA ALY, Ph.D., AND HOWARD I. MAIBACH, M.D. From the Department of Dermatology Research, Letterman Army Institute of Research, San Francisco, California, and the Department of Dermatology, University of California School of Medicine, San Francisco, California.
For a long while, taxonomic confusion of the micrococcal family has hindered the progress of cutaneous microbiology. Then Baird-Parker^- ^ introduced a system biotyping the Micrococcaceae which dispensed with the nomenclature of species. During the past 10 years, this classification has been used in many studies of skin ecology. The scheme is not perfect and several modifications have been offered.^-5 Nevertheless, even with the latest combination of species and biotypes,^ the basic system has permitted effective communication among clinicians and investigators. Impending Disaster
; .
i
This favorable situation is on the verge of collapse due to the flurry of reports by Kloos and colleagues.«-" To deal with the imperfections of the current biotype system, they have ignored it and, instead, have carefully detailed, thus far, 10 species or subspecies of Staphylococci and 7 species or subspecies of Micrococci which inhabit human skin. Additional species, which seem to be resi670
dents of animal skin but may contaminate man, have also been described.i^. " Although other taxonomic schemes have been proposed,^''' is KIOOS'S classification is receiving increasing scientific attention and support. However, the situation is in flux, and not all taxonomists accept the proposed scheme in its entirety. Although the effort of Kloos and his associates is meticulous and seems to have a sound biochemical basis, we wonder if the explosion of species is practical or proper, recalling Cowan's warning that ". . . the biochemically minded bacteriologists, who have been showing us the light and guiding our steps to a more rational taxonomy, may undo all the good they have done and create a new era of nomenclatural chaos.''^'' The present disorder was clearly demonstrated at the recent meeting of the American Society for Microbiology. On the same day that P. B. Smith of the Center of Disease Control prescribed the use of the current species/biotype system to the large assembly of clinical microbiologists, Kloos presented his work to a smaller group of interested microbial ecologists. At the time when the clinical significance of biotypes is beginning to be recognized, the flood of species, we fear, may force the clinician to retreat to the unsophisticated days of "5. aureus and others." The dual classifications present an additional, serious problem. The usefulness of much of the recent scientific in-
No. 9
NOMENCLATURE
Table 1. Comparison of Nomenclature of Staphylococci Bergey's Manual!''
BairdParkeri'
S. aureus S. epidermidis, biotype 1
SI SlI/SV
Kloos scheme^-' S. aureus S. epidermidis, S. hominis, S. haemolyticus, S. warneri S. simulans S. epidermidis, S. hominis, S. haemolyticus, S. warneri, S. capitis S. hominis, S. haemolyticus, S. warneri, S. capitis, S. simulans
Bibel, et al.
671
Kloos classification is not used. Editors of clinical journals may react likewise when the author applies the unfamiliar Kloos system. v Alternatives
Must studies be repeated with each change in classification? Fortunately, there is a solution. Bergey's Manual of biotype 2 SIM Determinative Bacteriology^'^ is the standbiotype 3 SIV ard taxonomic reference for most of the world's microbiologists. The text offers stability of nomenclature and classification because the last several editions have biotype 4 SVI been published in 9-17 year intervals. The current edition, first available in 1975, recognizes 3 species each of Staphylococcus and Micrococcus, but acS. saprophyticus, cepts biotypes as essentially described by S. saprophyticus, biotype 1 Ml Baird-Parker.i Understanding the need S. cohnii to perfect a scheme and realizing that S. saprophyticus, biotype 2 M2 scientists are seldom in agreement in S. cohnii matters of taxonomy, we, nevertheless, S. saprophyticus, biotype 3 M3 S. cohnii, S. xylosus urge that, for the interim, the nomenclature of Bergey's Manual be followed in biotype 4 M4 S. xylosus publications on cutaneous bacteriology. Once the bacterium has been thus identiformation is in jeopardy. As has hapfied, authors may then use the nomenpened after other changes of bacterial clature or classification of choice. In this taxonomy, data may quickly become obway, current data remain useful and comscured or neglected. During this period munication is maintained. of transition, there is a significant posFor the benefit of the reader, we have sibility that bacteriological reports conincluded tables comparing the nomenducted with the current scheme may be clature appearing in Bergey's Manual rejected by some editors because the with the original Baird-Parker biotypes and their equivalency with the Kloos Table 2. Comparison of Nomenclature classification. As can be seen, the Kloos of Micrococci scheme is only partially compatible with Bergey's Manual. Whereas staphyloBergey's BairdKloos coccal species and biotypes in Bergey's Manual^' Parkeri' scheme""!^ Manual are primarily differentiated on M. varians M5/M6 M. varians novobiocin sensitivity, production of M. luteus M7 M. luteus, M. iylae. coagulase, phosphatase, and acetoin, and M. sedentarius oxidation of lactose, maltose, arabinose, M. roseus M8 M. roseus and mannitol, a simplified scheme of the — — M. kristinae Kloos classification' uses coagulase ac— — M. nishinomiyaensis tivity, hemolysis, nitrate reduction, oxida-
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF DERMATOLOGY
672
tion of fructose, xylose, arabinose, ribose, maltose, lactose, sucrose, trehalose, mannitol, and xylitol, and, if necessary, novobiocin sensitivity, production of phosphatase, or lysostaphin resistance. References 1. Baird-Parker, A. C, A classification of micrococci and staphylococci based on physiological and biochemical tests. ]. Gen. Microbiol. 30:409, 1963. 2. Baird-Parker, A. C, The classification of staphylococci and micrococci from worldwide sources. J. Gen. Microbiol. 38:363, 1965. 3. Pelzer, K., Pulverer, G., Jeljaszewicz, J., and Pillich, J., Modification of Baird-Parker's classification system of Staphylococcus albus. Med. Microbiol. Immunol. 158:249, 1973. 4. Pennock, G. A., and Huddy, R. B., Phosphatase reaction of coagulase-negative staphylococci and micrococci. J. Pathol. Bacteriol. 93:685, 1967. 5. Baird-Parker, A. G., Glassification and identification of staphylococci and their resistance '" to physical agents. In the Staphylococci. Edited by Gohen, J. O. New York, Wiley-lnterscience, 1972, pp. 1-20. 6. Kloos, W. E., Thornabene, T. G., and Schleifer, K. H., Isolation and characterization of micrococci from human skin, including two new species: Micrococcus lylae and Micrococcus kristinae. Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol. 24: • 79, 1974. 7. Schleifer, K. H., and Kloos, W. E., Isolation and characterization of staphylococci from human skin. I. Amended descriptions of Staphytococcus epidermidis and Staphylococ' cus saprophyticus and descriptions of three new species: Staphylococcus cohnii, Staphylo'•:: coccus haemolyticus, and Staphylococcus xylosus. Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol. 25:50, 1975.
'
November 1976
VoL 15
8. Kloos, W. E., and Schelifer, K. H., Isolation and characterization of staphylococci from human skin. II. Descriptions of four new species: Staphylococcus warneri, Staphylococcus capitis, Staphylococcus hominis, and Staphylococcus simulans. Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol. 25:62, 1975. 9. Kloos, W. E., and Schleifer, K. H., Simplified scheme for routine identification of human Staphylococcus species. J. Glin. Microbiol. 1:82, 1975. 10. Kloos, W. E., and Musselwhite, M. S., Distribution and persistence Staphylococcus and Micrococcus species and other aerobic bacteria on human skin. Appl. Microbiol. 30: 381, 1975. 11. Farrior, J. W., and Kloos, W. E., Amino acid and vitamin requirements of Micrococcus species isolated from human skin. Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol. 25:80, 1975. 12. Kloos, W. E., Zimmerman, R. ]., and Smith, R. F., Preliminary studies on the characterization and distribution of Staphylococcus and Micrococcus species on animal skin. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 31:53, 1976. 13. Kloos, W. E., Schleifer, K. H., and Smith, R. F., Gharacterization of Staphylococcus sciuri sp. nov. and its subspecies. Int. ]. Syst. Bacteriol. 26:22, 1976. 14. Heczko, P. B., Jeljaszewicz, J., and Pulverer, G., Glassification of Micrococcaceae isolated from clinical sources. Zentralgl. Bacteriol. (Orig. A.) 229:171, 1974. 15. Mitchell, R. G., Alder, V. G., and Rosendal, K., The classification of coagulase-negative Micrococcaceae from human and animal sources. J. Med. Microbiol. 7:131, 1974. 16. Gowan, S. T., An introduction to chaos, or the classification of micrococci and staphylococci. J. Appl. Bocteriol. 25:324, 1962. 17. Buchanan, R. E., and Gibbons, N. E., Bergey's Manual of Determinative Bacteriology. 8th edition. Baltimore, Williams and Wilkins Go., 1974, pp. 476-490.
Filthy Diseases
^
=
.
". . . the most filthy is the leprosy . . . The disease next to this in foulness, but of a very different origin, is the itch. This first appears in a reddish roughness of the skin; which is succeeded by pimples, that let out matter or a sharp ichor; and the exulceration is attended with itching, and spreads by contagion.—Mead, R.: The Medical Works of Richard Mead, M.D., London, Hitch, 1762. Chapter 14, page 546.
NOMENCLATURE OF CUTANEOUS MICROCOCCACEAE: ON THE BRINK OF CHAOS DAVID J. BIBEL, Ph.D., RAZA ALY, Ph.D., AND HOWARD I. MAIBACH, M.D. From the Department of Dermatology Research, Letterman Army Institute of Research, San Francisco, California, and the Department of Dermatology, University of California School of Medicine, San Francisco, California.
For a long while, taxonomic confusion of the micrococcal family has hindered the progress of cutaneous microbiology. Then Baird-Parker^- ^ introduced a system biotyping the Micrococcaceae which dispensed with the nomenclature of species. During the past 10 years, this classification has been used in many studies of skin ecology. The scheme is not perfect and several modifications have been offered.^-5 Nevertheless, even with the latest combination of species and biotypes,^ the basic system has permitted effective communication among clinicians and investigators. Impending Disaster
; .
i
This favorable situation is on the verge of collapse due to the flurry of reports by Kloos and colleagues.«-" To deal with the imperfections of the current biotype system, they have ignored it and, instead, have carefully detailed, thus far, 10 species or subspecies of Staphylococci and 7 species or subspecies of Micrococci which inhabit human skin. Additional species, which seem to be resi670
dents of animal skin but may contaminate man, have also been described.i^. " Although other taxonomic schemes have been proposed,^''' is KIOOS'S classification is receiving increasing scientific attention and support. However, the situation is in flux, and not all taxonomists accept the proposed scheme in its entirety. Although the effort of Kloos and his associates is meticulous and seems to have a sound biochemical basis, we wonder if the explosion of species is practical or proper, recalling Cowan's warning that ". . . the biochemically minded bacteriologists, who have been showing us the light and guiding our steps to a more rational taxonomy, may undo all the good they have done and create a new era of nomenclatural chaos.''^'' The present disorder was clearly demonstrated at the recent meeting of the American Society for Microbiology. On the same day that P. B. Smith of the Center of Disease Control prescribed the use of the current species/biotype system to the large assembly of clinical microbiologists, Kloos presented his work to a smaller group of interested microbial ecologists. At the time when the clinical significance of biotypes is beginning to be recognized, the flood of species, we fear, may force the clinician to retreat to the unsophisticated days of "5. aureus and others." The dual classifications present an additional, serious problem. The usefulness of much of the recent scientific in-
No. 9
NOMENCLATURE
Table 1. Comparison of Nomenclature of Staphylococci Bergey's Manual!''
BairdParkeri'
S. aureus S. epidermidis, biotype 1
SI SlI/SV
Kloos scheme^-' S. aureus S. epidermidis, S. hominis, S. haemolyticus, S. warneri S. simulans S. epidermidis, S. hominis, S. haemolyticus, S. warneri, S. capitis S. hominis, S. haemolyticus, S. warneri, S. capitis, S. simulans
Bibel, et al.
671
Kloos classification is not used. Editors of clinical journals may react likewise when the author applies the unfamiliar Kloos system. v Alternatives
Must studies be repeated with each change in classification? Fortunately, there is a solution. Bergey's Manual of biotype 2 SIM Determinative Bacteriology^'^ is the standbiotype 3 SIV ard taxonomic reference for most of the world's microbiologists. The text offers stability of nomenclature and classification because the last several editions have biotype 4 SVI been published in 9-17 year intervals. The current edition, first available in 1975, recognizes 3 species each of Staphylococcus and Micrococcus, but acS. saprophyticus, cepts biotypes as essentially described by S. saprophyticus, biotype 1 Ml Baird-Parker.i Understanding the need S. cohnii to perfect a scheme and realizing that S. saprophyticus, biotype 2 M2 scientists are seldom in agreement in S. cohnii matters of taxonomy, we, nevertheless, S. saprophyticus, biotype 3 M3 S. cohnii, S. xylosus urge that, for the interim, the nomenclature of Bergey's Manual be followed in biotype 4 M4 S. xylosus publications on cutaneous bacteriology. Once the bacterium has been thus identiformation is in jeopardy. As has hapfied, authors may then use the nomenpened after other changes of bacterial clature or classification of choice. In this taxonomy, data may quickly become obway, current data remain useful and comscured or neglected. During this period munication is maintained. of transition, there is a significant posFor the benefit of the reader, we have sibility that bacteriological reports conincluded tables comparing the nomenducted with the current scheme may be clature appearing in Bergey's Manual rejected by some editors because the with the original Baird-Parker biotypes and their equivalency with the Kloos Table 2. Comparison of Nomenclature classification. As can be seen, the Kloos of Micrococci scheme is only partially compatible with Bergey's Manual. Whereas staphyloBergey's BairdKloos coccal species and biotypes in Bergey's Manual^' Parkeri' scheme""!^ Manual are primarily differentiated on M. varians M5/M6 M. varians novobiocin sensitivity, production of M. luteus M7 M. luteus, M. iylae. coagulase, phosphatase, and acetoin, and M. sedentarius oxidation of lactose, maltose, arabinose, M. roseus M8 M. roseus and mannitol, a simplified scheme of the — — M. kristinae Kloos classification' uses coagulase ac— — M. nishinomiyaensis tivity, hemolysis, nitrate reduction, oxida-
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF DERMATOLOGY
672
tion of fructose, xylose, arabinose, ribose, maltose, lactose, sucrose, trehalose, mannitol, and xylitol, and, if necessary, novobiocin sensitivity, production of phosphatase, or lysostaphin resistance. References 1. Baird-Parker, A. C, A classification of micrococci and staphylococci based on physiological and biochemical tests. ]. Gen. Microbiol. 30:409, 1963. 2. Baird-Parker, A. C, The classification of staphylococci and micrococci from worldwide sources. J. Gen. Microbiol. 38:363, 1965. 3. Pelzer, K., Pulverer, G., Jeljaszewicz, J., and Pillich, J., Modification of Baird-Parker's classification system of Staphylococcus albus. Med. Microbiol. Immunol. 158:249, 1973. 4. Pennock, G. A., and Huddy, R. B., Phosphatase reaction of coagulase-negative staphylococci and micrococci. J. Pathol. Bacteriol. 93:685, 1967. 5. Baird-Parker, A. G., Glassification and identification of staphylococci and their resistance '" to physical agents. In the Staphylococci. Edited by Gohen, J. O. New York, Wiley-lnterscience, 1972, pp. 1-20. 6. Kloos, W. E., Thornabene, T. G., and Schleifer, K. H., Isolation and characterization of micrococci from human skin, including two new species: Micrococcus lylae and Micrococcus kristinae. Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol. 24: • 79, 1974. 7. Schleifer, K. H., and Kloos, W. E., Isolation and characterization of staphylococci from human skin. I. Amended descriptions of Staphytococcus epidermidis and Staphylococ' cus saprophyticus and descriptions of three new species: Staphylococcus cohnii, Staphylo'•:: coccus haemolyticus, and Staphylococcus xylosus. Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol. 25:50, 1975.
'
November 1976
VoL 15
8. Kloos, W. E., and Schelifer, K. H., Isolation and characterization of staphylococci from human skin. II. Descriptions of four new species: Staphylococcus warneri, Staphylococcus capitis, Staphylococcus hominis, and Staphylococcus simulans. Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol. 25:62, 1975. 9. Kloos, W. E., and Schleifer, K. H., Simplified scheme for routine identification of human Staphylococcus species. J. Glin. Microbiol. 1:82, 1975. 10. Kloos, W. E., and Musselwhite, M. S., Distribution and persistence Staphylococcus and Micrococcus species and other aerobic bacteria on human skin. Appl. Microbiol. 30: 381, 1975. 11. Farrior, J. W., and Kloos, W. E., Amino acid and vitamin requirements of Micrococcus species isolated from human skin. Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol. 25:80, 1975. 12. Kloos, W. E., Zimmerman, R. ]., and Smith, R. F., Preliminary studies on the characterization and distribution of Staphylococcus and Micrococcus species on animal skin. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 31:53, 1976. 13. Kloos, W. E., Schleifer, K. H., and Smith, R. F., Gharacterization of Staphylococcus sciuri sp. nov. and its subspecies. Int. ]. Syst. Bacteriol. 26:22, 1976. 14. Heczko, P. B., Jeljaszewicz, J., and Pulverer, G., Glassification of Micrococcaceae isolated from clinical sources. Zentralgl. Bacteriol. (Orig. A.) 229:171, 1974. 15. Mitchell, R. G., Alder, V. G., and Rosendal, K., The classification of coagulase-negative Micrococcaceae from human and animal sources. J. Med. Microbiol. 7:131, 1974. 16. Gowan, S. T., An introduction to chaos, or the classification of micrococci and staphylococci. J. Appl. Bocteriol. 25:324, 1962. 17. Buchanan, R. E., and Gibbons, N. E., Bergey's Manual of Determinative Bacteriology. 8th edition. Baltimore, Williams and Wilkins Go., 1974, pp. 476-490.
Filthy Diseases
^
=
.
". . . the most filthy is the leprosy . . . The disease next to this in foulness, but of a very different origin, is the itch. This first appears in a reddish roughness of the skin; which is succeeded by pimples, that let out matter or a sharp ichor; and the exulceration is attended with itching, and spreads by contagion.—Mead, R.: The Medical Works of Richard Mead, M.D., London, Hitch, 1762. Chapter 14, page 546.
