ICNB Full Form

What is the full form of ICNB?

ICNB stands for "International Code of Nomenclature of Bacteria." The International Code of Nomenclature of Bacteria, which was updated in 1992 after being revised in 1975, governs the nomenclature of bacteria. The code outlines the official naming conventions for bacteria as well as the processes for changing existing names, for instance, in cases where new information justifies reclassifying a taxonomy. Even rules for rejecting names if mistakes were made during the initial naming process or a name has otherwise become invalid are present in the code. The code specifies the procedures for naming all bacterial species, genera, families, and orders.

Background of Nomenclature

In biological classification, nomenclature refers to a system of naming organisms. Two words, the genus and species names, which are Latinized words derived from various sources, identify the species to which the organism belongs. Carolus Linnaeus created this system, known as the Linnaean system of binomial nomenclature, in the 1750s. Following Linnaeus' work, a proliferation of binomial names occurred as new species were discovered and higher taxonomic categories were created, which led to significant nomenclatural confusion by the late 19th century for many groups of organisms. The establishment of rules by international committees in the fields of zoology, botany, bacteriology, and virology in the 20th century has greatly clarified matters.

Which are the three fundamental rules of nomenclature?

Carolus Linneaus is credited with creating the nomenclature—the system currently in use for giving names to plants. Species names consist of three parts:

1. the genus name;

2. the specific epithet; and

3. the organisation or person(s) in charge of the name.

Nomenclature of Bacteria

The term "nomenclature of bacteria" refers to the naming of bacteria and other organisms. Carl Linnaeus (1674–1748) introduced the binomial system, which is used to name bacteria and other organisms. This indicates that a bacterium has a species name, which is made up of a genus name that identifies the genus to which it belongs and a species epithet that is specific to the bacterium. The bacterium Moraxella Bovis serves as an example of this, with the genus name indicating that it belongs to the genus Moraxella and the species epithet indicating that it was isolated from cattle.

The scientific name of the species, which is always written in italics, is made up of the genus name and the species epithet. Bacterial names are formed using Latin or Greek that has been given a latinization process. After the genus name has been written for the first time in a text, you can shorten it, such as M. Bovis, to avoid confusion. Be aware that there are additional bacteria with the names Mycoplasma and Mycobacterium Bovis.

A book titled "International Code of Nomenclature of Bacteria'' contains strict international guidelines on how bacteria should be named. An international taxonomy committee must first publish and approve a scientific paper on the proposed species before the proposed name can be used.

Why Is Using The Right Names Important?

• The hierarchical taxonomic system allows for the scientific organisation of bacterial names in order to provide biological insights based on phylogeny. For instance, we believe that compared to a Bacillus species, Escherichia coli shares more phenotypic traits with other Escherichia species. Therefore, it is essential to use the proper names when interpreting microbiomes and other kinds of data.

• Unfortunately, the current nomenclature still has a lot of names that are incorrectly positioned. For instance, Clostridium scindens, which still goes by the name Clostridium, has long been recognized for its significant contribution to the metabolism of bile acids in the human gut microbiota. It should, however, be categorised as a new genus in the family Lachnospiraceae because it is not even close to the genus Clostridium. The family Clostridiaceae would include the genuine Clostridium.