In this article we have discussed the standard publication of Bergey’s manual trust regarding Bergey’s classification of procaryotes.
1. ‘Bergey’s Manual of Systematic Bacteriology’ published by Williams & Wilkins, Baltimore, in four volumes. Each volume has several sections and each section contains a number of related genera.
The four volumes provide information as categorized below:
Volume I was published in 1984 and contain information on Gram-negative bacteria of medical and commercial importance, e.g., spirochetes, spiral and curved bacteria, Gram-negative aerobic and facultatively aerobic rods, Gram-negative obligate anaerobes, Gram negative aerobic and anaerobic cocci, sulphate and sulphur reducing bacteria, rickettsias and chlamydias, and mycoplasmas.
Volume II was published in 1986. It contains information on Gram positive bacteria of medical and commercial importance, e.g., Gram positive cocci, Gram positive endospore forming and nonsporing rods, mycobacteria and non-filamentous actinomycetes.
Volume III was published in 1989, and contains, information on the remaining Gram- negative bacteria and the Archaea, e.g., phototrophic, gliding sheathed, budding, and appendaged bacteria, cyanobacteria, chemolithotrophic bacteria, methanogenes, extreme halophiles, hyperthermophiles, Thermoplasma and other Archaea.
Volume IV was published in 1989. It contains information on filamentous actinomycetes and related bacteria.
2. The second standard publication is the 9th edition of ‘Bergey’s Manual of Determinative Bacteriology’ (1994) published by Williams & Wilkins, Baltimore.
The 9th edition is intended solely for the identification of those bacteria that have been described and cultured. The arrangement of the book is strictly phenotypic and no attempt has been made to offer a natural classification.
The arrangement chosen is utilitarian and is intended to aid in identification of bacteria. The publication divides bacteria into 35 Groups which are comparable to the ‘Parts’ in the 8th edition of 1974 and the ‘Sections’ in the volumes I to IV of Bergey’s Manual of Systematic Bacteriology.
The Headquarters of the trust and editorial office of the Manual is housed in the Department of Microbiology at Michigan State University. Comments on this edition are welcome and have been invited by Bergey’s Manual Trust, Dept of Microbiology, Giltner Hall Michigan State University, East Lansing, M.I., USA, 48824-1101.