Bacilli

This article is about the bacterial class. For the genus, see Bacillus. For rod-shaped bacteria in general, see bacillus (shape).

Bacilli
Bacillus subtilis, Gram stain
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Bacteria
Phylum: Bacillota
Class: Bacilli
Ludwig et al. 2010
Orders
Synonyms
  • "Bacillia" Oren, Parte & Garrity 2016
  • 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.[1]

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.

  1. ^ Ludwig, Wolfgang; Schleifer, Karl-Heinz; Whitman, William B. (2015). "Bacilli class. Nov". Bergey's Manual of Systematics of Archaea and Bacteria. p. 1. doi:10.1002/9781118960608.cbm00033. ISBN 9781118960608.