Change search
CiteExportLink to record
Permanent link

Direct link
Cite
Citation style
  • apa
  • ieee
  • modern-language-association-8th-edition
  • vancouver
  • Other style
More styles
Language
  • de-DE
  • en-GB
  • en-US
  • fi-FI
  • nn-NO
  • nn-NB
  • sv-SE
  • Other locale
More languages
Output format
  • html
  • text
  • asciidoc
  • rtf
Resolving taxonomic uncertainties in the genus Haemophilus: a genomics-based approach for the reclassification of species within genera of the family Pasteurellaceae and proposal of four novel genera and one novel species
Department of Clinical Microbiology, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden; Culture Collection University of Gothenburg (CCUG), Sahlgrenska University Hospital and Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Department of Clinical Microbiology, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden; Culture Collection University of Gothenburg (CCUG), Sahlgrenska University Hospital and Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden; Department of Infectious Diseases, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
RISE Research Institutes of Sweden, Materials and Production, Methodology, Textiles and Medical Technology.ORCID iD: 0000-0003-0173-560X
Department of Clinical Microbiology, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden; Culture Collection University of Gothenburg (CCUG), Sahlgrenska University Hospital and Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden; Department of Infectious Diseases, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden; Nanoxis Consulting AB, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Show others and affiliations
2026 (English)In: Frontiers in Microbiology, ISSN 0166-4302, Vol. 17Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Introduction – The taxonomy of species within the genus Haemophilus, within the family Pasteurellaceae, shows extensive polyphyly, causing long-standing taxonomic ambiguities that complicate clinical, epidemiological and evolutionary research. Traditional classifications based on phenotypes and comparative 16S rRNA gene sequence analyses have resulted in discrepancies in defining genera and species, necessitating a thorough genome-based reevaluation. In this study, we have conducted an integrated phylogenomic analysis of the type strains of 90 species, covering all genera with validly published names within the family Pasteurellaceae, focusing on the historically-problematic Haemophilus genus. Methods – We used whole-genome sequencing, core proteome phylogeny and genome-wide similarity analyses to assess and define genus and species boundaries. Results – Results from phylogenomic analyses identified four well-supported species-clades within Haemophilus, revealing several misclassified species. Comparative POCP and AAI analyses, using genomic sequence data, showed that traditional genus-level thresholds (≥50% for POCP and 60–80% for AAI) of calculated protein content are insufficient to resolve species of genera with extensive horizontal gene transfer, whereas more stringent cutoffs aligned better with phylogenomic groupings. ANI and dDDH analyses effectively delineated species-level boundaries but offered limited detail for higher taxonomic ranks. Analyses of virulence factors found conserved sets of core genes known to be crucial for colonization, immune evasion and iron uptake, along with genus- and species-specific factors, indicating ecological adaptations. Functional annotation and metabolic pathway analysis highlighted universal processes and phylogenetic lineage-specific features. Discussion – Overall, our comprehensive genomic approach has elucidated a reliable phylogenetic-based taxonomy of Haemophilus, detected misclassified species, recognized new genera and supports a biologically meaningful taxonomy for Pasteurellaceae. These results establish the basis for accurate species identification, clinical diagnostics, evolutionary research and functional studies within this medically and veterinarily important family. Copyright

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Frontiers Media SA , 2026. Vol. 17
Keywords [en]
Haemophilus species, novel genera, novel species, Pasteurellaceae, phylogenomics, reclassification, taxonomy
National Category
Biological Systematics
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:ri:diva-81693DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2026.1798515PubMedID: 41988040Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-105038881414OAI: oai:DiVA.org:ri-81693DiVA, id: diva2:2065216
Note

QC 20260603

Available from: 2026-06-03 Created: 2026-06-03 Last updated: 2026-06-03Bibliographically approved

Open Access in DiVA

No full text in DiVA

Other links

Publisher's full textPubMedScopus

Authority records

Salvà Serra, Francisco

Search in DiVA

By author/editor
Salvà Serra, Francisco
By organisation
Methodology, Textiles and Medical Technology
Biological Systematics

Search outside of DiVA

GoogleGoogle Scholar

doi
pubmed
urn-nbn

Altmetric score

doi
pubmed
urn-nbn
Total: 30 hits
CiteExportLink to record
Permanent link

Direct link
Cite
Citation style
  • apa
  • ieee
  • modern-language-association-8th-edition
  • vancouver
  • Other style
More styles
Language
  • de-DE
  • en-GB
  • en-US
  • fi-FI
  • nn-NO
  • nn-NB
  • sv-SE
  • Other locale
More languages
Output format
  • html
  • text
  • asciidoc
  • rtf