The Clostridiaceae are a family of the bacterial class Clostridia, and contain the genus Clostridium.

The family Clostridiaceae (scientific name) defined by the taxonomic outline of Bergey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology contains as its core the genus Clostridium (sensu stricto), as well as Acetivibrio, Acidaminobacter, Alkaliphilus, Anaerobacter, Caloramator, Caloranaerobacter, Coprobacillus, Dorea, Natronincola, Oxobacter, Sarcina, Sporobacter, Thermobrachium, Thermohalobacter, and Tindallia. The previous inclusion of these additional genera (as seen on the right) in a family Clostridiaceae is based for the most part because the type species of these genera are in many cases phylogenetically related to misclassified species of the genus Clostridium. However, with the exception of Anaerobacter, Caloramator, Oxobacter, Sarcina, and Thermobrachium, these genera fall outside the radiation of what can be considered the true family Clostridiaceae and are now regarded as belonging to other families within the low G + C, Gram-positive phylum.

This misclassification is the result of well-known problems of the current taxonomic structure of the

traditional genus Clostridium. The phylogenetic analysis of Collins (1994) was the first large-scale comparison of 16S rRNA gene sequences of species of the genus Clostridium and related taxa. The fact that the species of the genus Clostridium did not form a monophyletic group has been shown in a number of studies in which small groups of Clostridium species had been compared as far back as 1981. The comparative study of Collins (1994) and subsequent studies can be used to conclude that more than half of the species currently assigned to this genus are in fact not closely related to the type species, C. butyricum, and from a phylogenetic standpoint should not be included in a newly defined genus Clostridium.

This extensive genetic diversity of the genus Clostridium had been shown using 23S rRNA:DNA hybridization studies back in 1975 by Johnson and Francis, but the 16S rRNA gene sequence approach revealed the actual phylogenetic relationships between the species of this genus and other genera.

The genus Clostridium currently comprises 152 validly described species in nomenclature. However, on the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequence analyses, only 73 of these fall within the radiation of the type species of the genus Clostridium.

Subdivisions

The polyphyletic family Clostridiaceae comprises the following:

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! colspan=1 |LPSN & NCBI

! colspan=1 |16S rRNA based LTP_10_2024 & 120 marker proteins based GTDB 09-RS220

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  • Acidaminobacter <small>Stams & Hansen 1985</small>
  • Agathobaculum <small>Ahn et al. 2016</small>
  • Alkaliphilus <small>Takai et al. 2001</small>
  • Anaeromicrobium <small>Zhang et al. 2017</small>
  • Anaeromonas <small>Zhang et al. 2022</small>
  • "Anaerophilus" <small>Zhang et al. 2020</small>
  • Anaerosolibacter <small>Hong et al. 2015</small>
  • Anaerovirgula <small>Pikuta et al. 2006</small>
  • Anoxynatronum <small>Garnova & Zhilina 2003</small>
  • "Ca. Arthromitus"
  • Brassicibacter <small>Fang et al. 2012</small>
  • Butyricicoccus <small>Eeckhaut et al. 2008</small>
  • Caldanaerocella <small>Diaz et al. 2004</small>
  • Caldisalinibacter <small>Ben Hania et al. 2015</small>
  • Caloramator <small>Collins et al. 1994</small>
  • Caloranaerobacter <small>Wery et al. 2001</small>
  • Caminicella <small>Alain et al. 2002</small>
  • Clostridiisalibacter <small>Liebgott et al. 2008 </small>
  • Clostridium <small>Trécul 1865 ex Prazmowski 1880</small>
  • Crassaminicella <small>Lakhal et al. 2015</small>
  • "Desnuesiella" <small>Hadjadj et al. 2016</small>
  • Fervidicella <small>Ogg & Patel 2010</small>
  • Fonticella <small>Fraj et al. 2013</small>
  • Fusibacter <small>Ravot et al. 1999</small>
  • Geosporobacter <small>Klouche et al. 2007</small>
  • Haloimpatiens <small>Wu et al. 2016</small>
  • Hathewaya <small>Lawson & Rainey 2016</small>
  • "Inediibacterium" <small>Alou et al. 2017</small>
  • "Intestinibacillus" <small>Ricaboni et al. 2017</small>
  • Linmingia <small>Ming, Nanqi & Yang 2002</small>
  • Lutispora <small>Shiratori et al. 2008</small>
  • Maledivibacter <small>Li et al. 2016</small>
  • Marinisporobacter <small>Vandieken et al. 2017</small>
  • Natronincola <small>Zhilina et al. 1999</small>
  • Oceanirhabdus <small>Pi et al. 2013</small>
  • Oxobacter <small>Collins et al. 1994</small>
  • Paramaledivibacter <small>Li et al. 2016</small>
  • "Ca. Petromonas" <small>Christman et al. 2020</small>
  • Proteiniclasticum <small>Zhang, Song & Dong 2010</small>
  • "Ca. Pseudobutyricicoccus" <small>Glendinning et al. 2020</small>
  • Salimesophilobacter <small>Zhang et al. 2013</small>
  • "Ca. Savagella" <small>Thompson et al. 2012</small>
  • Serpentinicella <small>Mei et al. 2016</small>
  • Sporosalibacterium <small>Rezgui et al. 2011</small>
  • Thermobrachium <small>ngle et al. 1996</small>
  • Thermohalobacter <small>Cayol et al. 2000</small>
  • Thermotalea <small>Ogg & Patel 2009</small>
  • Tindallia <small>Kevbrin et al. 1999</small>
  • "Ca. Ventrousia" <small>Gilroy et al. 2021</small>
  • Wukongibacter <small>Li et al. 2016</small>
  • Youngiibacter <small>Lawson et al. 2014</small>

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  • "Lutisporales"
  • "Lutisporaceae"
  • Lutispora
  • Clostridiales
  • "Oxobacteraceae"
  • Oxobacter
  • Clostridiaceae
  • Anaeromonas
  • Clostridium
  • "Desnuesiella"
  • Haloimpatiens
  • Hathewaya
  • Oceanirhabdus
  • Proteiniclasticum
  • "Ca. Savagella"
  • Youngiibacter
  • "Caloramatoraceae"
  • Caloramator
  • Fervidicella
  • Fonticella
  • Thermobrachium
  • Tissierellales
  • "Clostridiisalibacteraceae"
  • Clostridiisalibacter
  • VENL01
  • Sporosalibacterium
  • "Caldisalinibacteraceae"
  • Caldisalinibacter
  • Thermohalobacteraceae
  • Brassicibacter
  • Caloranaerobacter
  • Thermohalobacter
  • "Peptostreptococcales"
  • "Caminicellaceae"
  • Caminicella
  • Maledivibacter
  • "Ca. Petromonas"
  • Paramaledivibacter
  • Wukongibacter
  • "Acidaminobacteraceae"
  • Acidaminobacter
  • Fusibacter
  • "Thermotaleaceae"
  • Anaeromicrobium
  • "Anaerophilus"
  • Anaerosolibacter
  • Crassaminicella
  • Geosporobacter
  • "Inediibacterium"
  • Marinisporobacter
  • Salimesophilobacter
  • Thermotalea
  • "Tindalliaceae"
  • Anoxynatronum
  • Tindallia
  • "Natronincolaceae"
  • Alkaliphilus
  • Anaerovirgula
  • Natronincola
  • Serpentinicella
  • "Oscillospirales"
  • "Butyricicoccaceae"
  • Agathobaculum
  • Butyricicoccus
  • "Intestinibacillus"
  • "Ca. Pseudobutyricicoccus"
  • "Ca. Ventrousia"

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Phylogeny

The currently accepted taxonomy is based on the List of Prokaryotic names with Standing in Nomenclature (LPSN) and National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI)

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! colspan=1 | 16S rRNA based LTP_10_2024

! colspan=1 | 120 marker proteins based GTDB 09-RS220

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See also

  • List of bacteria genera
  • List of bacterial orders

References