Bacteria and Viruses 117 



Recommendation 27p. Orthography and Gender of Names 



RECOMMENDATION 27p. The name of a genus should be spelled without ab- 

 breviation the first time it is used with a specific epithet in a publication, (e.g., 

 Serratia marcescens) except that in a series of names of species of the same 

 genus it is customary to abbreviate the name of the genus in all names of the 

 species after the first. Later use of the name of a species previously cited 

 usually has the name of the genus abbreviated. The abbreviation used for the 

 name of a genus in a species name is usually the first letter of the generic name 

 (e.g., S. marcescens). In publications in which species are listed belonging to 

 two or more genera which have the same initial letter, care should be used 

 to abbreviate the names of the genera so as to avoid confusion. 



ANNOTATION 



Recommendation 27p. The use of the first letter of the name of a 

 genus as an abbreviation of the name is common practice in biology. 

 However, some authors seek to avoid confusion when discussing two 

 or more genera having the same initial letter by using a longer and 

 more distinctive abbreviation for each. One finds the generic name 

 Shigella abbreviated as .S'., Sh., and Shig.; Salmonella as S., Sal., and 

 Salm.; and Streptococcus as S., Str., and Strep. Suggestions have been 

 made that a standard list of abbreviations should be developed and 

 adopted. No such list has received any formal approval. There would 

 arise many difficulties in its formulation. More than twenty generic 

 names have been proposed in bacteriology which have Thio as a first 

 component. Even abbreviations as long the following are not dis- 

 tinctive. Achrom., Actino., Aero., Arthro., Azoto., Bact., Caryo., Cell, 

 Chloro., Chrom., Haemo., Halo., Lacto., Lepto., Leuco., Methano., 

 Micr., Myco., Myxo., Nitro., Nitroso., Oscill, Para., Past., Pelo., Pro., 

 Rh., Rhab., Rhodo., Ricketts., Saccharo., Sapr., Sarcin., Sider., Sphaer., 

 Spir., Sporo., St., Str., Strepto., Sulfo., Thermo., Thio., Uro., and 

 Zymo. No proposed or recommended list of such abbreviations has 

 been widely publicized. 



