bacilli

{{about|the bacterial class|the genus|Bacillus|rod-shaped bacteria in general|bacillus (shape)}}

{{Automatic taxobox

| image = Bacillus subtilis Gram.jpg

| image_caption = Bacillus subtilis, Gram stain

| taxon = Bacilli

| authority = Ludwig et al. 2010

| subdivision_ranks = Orders

| subdivision =

| synonyms =

Alicyclobacillia Chuvochina et al. 2024
"Bacillia" Oren, Parte & Garrity 2016
Culicoidibacteria Neupane et al. 2020
Desulfuribacillia Sorokin et al. 2021
Firmibacteria Murray 1988
Teichobacteria Cavalier-Smith 2002

}}

Bacilli is a taxonomic class of bacteria that includes two orders, Bacillales and Lactobacillales, which contain several well-known pathogens such as Bacillus anthracis (the cause of anthrax). Bacilli are almost exclusively gram-positive bacteria.{{cite book|doi=10.1002/9781118960608.cbm00033|chapter=Bacilli class. Nov|title=Bergey's Manual of Systematics of Archaea and Bacteria|pages=1|year=2015|last1=Ludwig|first1=Wolfgang|last2=Schleifer|first2=Karl-Heinz|last3=Whitman|first3=William B.|isbn=9781118960608}}

The name Bacillus, capitalized and italicized, refers to a specific genus of bacteria. The name Bacilli, capitalized but not italicized, can also refer to a less specific taxonomic group of bacteria that includes two orders, one of which contains the genus Bacillus. When the word is formatted with lowercase and not italicized, 'bacillus', it will most likely be referring to shape and not to the genus at all.

Ambiguity

Several related concepts make use of similar words, and the ambiguity can create considerable confusion. The term "Bacillus" (capitalized and italicized) is also the name of a genus (Bacillus anthracis) that, among many other genera, falls within the class Bacilli.

The word "bacillus" (or its plural "bacilli", with a small b) is also a generic term to describe the morphology of any rod-shaped bacterium. This general term does not mean that the subject is a member of class Bacilli or genus Bacillus. Thus, it does not necessarily imply a similar group of characteristics. Not all members of class Bacilli are rod-shaped (Staphylococcus is spherical), and many other rod-shaped bacteria that do not fall within that class exist (e.g., Clostridium is rod-shaped but very different taxonomically). Moreover, the general term "bacillus" does not necessarily indicate the Gram-positive staining common to class Bacilli. For example, E. coli is a rod-shaped bacterium that can be described as "a bacillus", but it stains Gram-negative and does not belong to the genus Bacillus or the class Bacilli. Some microbiologists have forsaken the general "bacillus" term because of the confusion it can create.

Phylogeny

The currently accepted taxonomy based on the List of Prokaryotic names with Standing in Nomenclature (LPSN){{cite web|author=J.P. Euzéby |url=https://lpsn.dsmz.de/class/bacilli |title=Bacilli |access-date=2018-07-20 |publisher=List of Prokaryotic names with Standing in Nomenclature (LPSN)}} and the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI).{{cite web |author = Sayers| url=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Taxonomy/Browser/wwwtax.cgi?mode=Undef&id=91061&lvl=3&lin |title=Bacilli |access-date=2018-07-20 |publisher=National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) taxonomy database|display-authors=etal}}

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colspan=1 \| 16S rRNA based LTP_10_2024{{cite web \|title=The LTP \|url=https://imedea.uib-csic.es/mmg/ltp/#LTP\| access-date=10 December 2024}}{{cite web \|title=LTP_all tree in newick format \|url=https://imedea.uib-csic.es/mmg/ltp/wp-content/uploads/ltp/LTP_all_10_2024.ntree \|access-date=10 December 2024}}{{cite web \|title=LTP_10_2024 Release Notes \|url=https://imedea.uib-csic.es/mmg/ltp/wp-content/uploads/ltp/LTP_10_2024_release_notes.pdf \|access-date=10 December 2024}} ! colspan=1 \| 120 marker proteins based GTDB 09-RS220{{cite web \|title=GTDB release 09-RS220 \|url=https://gtdb.ecogenomic.org/about#4%7C \|website=Genome Taxonomy Database \|access-date=10 May 2024}}{{cite web \|title=bac120_r220.sp_labels \|url=https://data.gtdb.ecogenomic.org/releases/release220/220.0/auxillary_files/bac120_r220.sp_labels.tree \|website=Genome Taxonomy Database \|access-date=10 May 2024}}{{cite web \|title=Taxon History \|url=https://gtdb.ecogenomic.org/taxon_history/ \|website=Genome Taxonomy Database \|access-date=10 May 2024}}
style="vertical-align:top\| {{Clade \| style=font-size:90%;line-height:80% \|label1="Bacillia" \|sublabel1={Bacillota} \|1={{clade \|1={{clade \|1={{clade \|1=Hydrogenibacillus \|2=Thermicanales }} \|2={{clade \|1=Alicyclobacillales (incl. Kyrpidiales, Tumebacillales) \|2=Paenibacillales }} }} \|2={{clade \|1=Thermoactinomycetales \|2={{clade \|1={{clade \|1=Novibacillaceae \|2={{clade \|1=Caldalkalibacillales \|2={{clade \|1=Caldibacillaceae \|2=Calditerricolales }} }} }} \|2={{clade \|1={{clade \|1={{clade \|1=Microaerobacter \|2={{clade \|1=Desulfuribacillales \|2=Tepidibacillales }} }} \|2={{clade \|1=Oxalophagaceae \|2={{clade \|1=Aneurinibacillales \|2=Brevibacillales }} }} }} \|2={{clade \|1="Bacillus thermozeamaize" \|2={{clade \|1=Bacillales (incl. Planococcaceae) \|2={{clade \|1=Listeriaceae \|2={{clade \|1=Exiguobacteriales \|2={{clade \|1=Staphylococcales \|2={{clade \|1={{clade \|1=Gemellaceae \|2={{clade \|1=Culicoidibacterales \|2={{clade \|1=Turicibacteraceae \|2={{clade \|1=Haloplasmatales \|2={{clade \|1=Acholeplasmatales \|2={{clade \|1=Erysipelotrichales \|2=Mycoplasmatales }} }} }} }} }} }} \|2=Lactobacillales }} }} }} }} }} }} }} }} }} }} }} \| {{clade\|style=font-size:90%;line-height:90% \|label1=Mycoplasmatota \|1={{Clade \|label1=Mollicutes \|1={{Clade \|1="Aphodocolales" \|2={{Clade \|1={{clade \|1="Bathyoplasmales" \|2={{Clade \|1="Izemoplasmatales" \|2=Acholeplasmatales [incl.Anaeroplasmatales] }} }} \|2={{clade \|1={{clade \|1="Caccosomales" \|2=Erysipelotrichales }} \|2=Mycoplasmatales [incl. Entomoplasmatales; Mycoplasmoidales] }} }} }} }} }} {{Clade \| style=font-size:90%;line-height:80% \|label1="Bacillia" \|sublabel1={Bacillota} \|1={{Clade \|1="Pasteuriales" \|2={{clade \|1={{clade \|1=Kyrpidiales \|2={{clade \|1=Tumebacillales \|2=Alicyclobacillales }} }} \|2={{clade \|1=Desulfuribacillales \|2={{clade \|1={{clade \|1=Calditerricolales \|2={{clade \|1="Bacillus thermozeamaize" {Bacillales_F} \|2={{clade \|1=Thermicanales \|2="Brockiales" }} }} }} \|2={{clade \|1=Thermoactinomycetales \|2={{clade \|1=Paenibacillales \|2={{clade \|1={{clade \|1=Microaerobacter {DSM-22679} \|2={{clade \|1=Aneurinibacillales \|2=Brevibacillales }} }} \|2={{clade \|1=Tepidibacillales \|2={{clade \|1="Rubeoparvulales" \|2={{clade \|1=Caldalkalibacillales \|2={{clade \|1=Exiguobacteriales \|2={{clade \|1="Harrysmithimonadales" \|2={{clade \|1={{clade \|label1="Bacillidae" \|1={{clade \|1=Bacillales_B \|2={{clade \|1=Bacillales \|2={{clade \|1=Bacillales_C \|2={{clade \|1={{clade \|1={{clade \|1=Bacillales_E \|2={{clade \|1=Sporolactobacillaceae {Bacillales_K} \|2=Bacillales_G }} }} \|2=Bacillales_H }} \|2={{clade \|1={{clade \|1={{clade \|1=Bacillus marinisedimentorum {Bacillales_I} \|2=Aureibacillaceae {DSM-28697} }} \|2=Bacillales_D }} }} }} }} }} }} }} \|2={{clade \|1=Caryophanaceae {Caryophanales} \|2={{clade \|1={{clade \|1=Staphylococcales \|2={{clade \|1=Culicoidibacterales \|2={{clade \|1=Turicibacteraceae {MOL361} \|2=Haloplasmatales }} }} }} \|2=Lactobacillales }} }} }} }} }} }} }} }} }} }} }} }} }} }} }} }}

class="wikitable"

colspan=1 | 16S rRNA based LTP_10_2024{{cite web |title=The LTP |url=https://imedea.uib-csic.es/mmg/ltp/#LTP| access-date=10 December 2024}}{{cite web |title=LTP_all tree in newick format |url=https://imedea.uib-csic.es/mmg/ltp/wp-content/uploads/ltp/LTP_all_10_2024.ntree |access-date=10 December 2024}}{{cite web |title=LTP_10_2024 Release Notes |url=https://imedea.uib-csic.es/mmg/ltp/wp-content/uploads/ltp/LTP_10_2024_release_notes.pdf |access-date=10 December 2024}}

! colspan=1 | 120 marker proteins based GTDB 09-RS220{{cite web |title=GTDB release 09-RS220 |url=https://gtdb.ecogenomic.org/about#4%7C |website=Genome Taxonomy Database |access-date=10 May 2024}}{{cite web |title=bac120_r220.sp_labels |url=https://data.gtdb.ecogenomic.org/releases/release220/220.0/auxillary_files/bac120_r220.sp_labels.tree |website=Genome Taxonomy Database |access-date=10 May 2024}}{{cite web |title=Taxon History |url=https://gtdb.ecogenomic.org/taxon_history/ |website=Genome Taxonomy Database |access-date=10 May 2024}}

style="vertical-align:top|

{{Clade | style=font-size:90%;line-height:80%

|label1="Bacillia"

|sublabel1={Bacillota}

|1={{clade

|1=Hydrogenibacillus

|2=Thermicanales

}}

|2={{clade

|1=Alicyclobacillales (incl. Kyrpidiales, Tumebacillales)

|2=Paenibacillales

}}