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Bacteriophage Taxonomy: An Evolving Discipline

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Bacteriophage Therapy

Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology ((MIMB,volume 1693))

Abstract

While taxonomy is an often-unappreciated branch of science it serves very important roles. Bacteriophage taxonomy has evolved from a mainly morphology-based discipline, characterized by the work of David Bradley and Hans-Wolfgang Ackermann, to the holistic approach that is taken today. The Bacterial and Archaeal Viruses Subcommittee of the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) takes a comprehensive approach to classifying prokaryote viruses measuring overall DNA and protein identity and phylogeny before making decisions about the taxonomic position of a new virus. The huge number of complete genomes being deposited with NCBI and other public databases has resulted in a reassessment of the taxonomy of many viruses, and the future will see the introduction of new viral families and higher orders.

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Acknowledgement

This work was supported in part by the Intramural Research Program of the National Institutes of Health, National Library of Medicine to I.T. and J.R.B.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20894, USA

    Igor Tolstoy & J. Rodney Brister

  2. Department of Food Science, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada, N1G 2W1

    Andrew M. Kropinski

  3. Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada, N1G 2W1

    Andrew M. Kropinski

  4. Department of Pathobiology, University of Guelph, 6 Mayfield Ave, Guelph, ON, Canada, N1G 2W1

    Andrew M. Kropinski

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  1. Igor Tolstoy
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  2. Andrew M. Kropinski
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  3. J. Rodney Brister
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Andrew M. Kropinski .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. LIBRO-Laboratory of Research in Biofilms Rosário Oliveira, CEB – Centre of Biological Engineering, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal

    Joana Azeredo

  2. CEB – Centre of Biological Engineering, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal

    Sanna Sillankorva

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Tolstoy, I., Kropinski, A.M., Brister, J.R. (2018). Bacteriophage Taxonomy: An Evolving Discipline. In: Azeredo, J., Sillankorva, S. (eds) Bacteriophage Therapy. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 1693. Humana Press, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-7395-8_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-7395-8_6

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