Clostridioides
Genus of bacteria
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Clostridioides is a genus of Gram-positive bacteria, which includes Clostridioides difficile, a human pathogen causing an infectious diarrhea.
| Clostridioides | |
|---|---|
| |
| SE micrograph of Clostridioides difficile colonies from a stool sample | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Bacteria |
| Kingdom: | Bacillati |
| Phylum: | Bacillota |
| Class: | Clostridia |
| Order: | Peptostreptococcales |
| Family: | Peptostreptococcaceae |
| Genus: | Clostridioides Lawson and Rainey 2016[1] |
| Type species | |
| Clostridioides difficile (Hall & O'Toole 1935) Lawson et al. 2016 | |
| Species | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Taxonomy
The genus Clostridioides was created to describe a few species formerly in the genus Clostridium which have been shown to be their own genetically distinct genus using 16S rRNA gene sequencing analysis.[2] However, both names are still in use and valid under the International Code of Nomenclature of Prokaryotes.[3] Since C. mangenotii was further separated into a distinct genus in 2024,[4] Clostridioides is a monotypic genus.
Description
They are obligate anaerobes capable of producing endospores. The normal, reproducing cells of Clostridioides, called the vegetative form, are rod-shaped, which gives them their name, from the Greek κλωστήρ or spindle. Clostridioides endospores, like Clostridium endospores, have a distinct bowling pin or bottle shape, distinguishing them from other bacterial endospores, which are usually ovoid in shape.[citation needed]