Emerging Concepts in Bacterial Taxonomy

Abstract

Bacterial taxonomy has progressed over the years by virtue of the brisk and competent scientific developments. Ground-breaking molecular techniques have added an edge in the phylogenetic studies, resulting in the quality description of the taxa under studies. New avenues are rapidly developing whose validation has always been embraced and included, which will assist in resolution. It began with the simple application of objective procedures for classification, and now we have arrived at the genome-based taxonomy. This pedantic step has led to the meticulous examination and served to reconcile certain conflicts of the status of the taxa. This field is dynamic and is exploring more options like proteomics and metabolomics in gaining more insights into the lineal heritage. Even though there has been a significant change and addition, there is an ever-growing need for a comprehensive study, which would thread all the attributes together into one functional unit of classification. In this review, we examine the paradigm shift from traditional taxonomy to integrated taxonomy useful in the characterisation of bacteria which in addition aids in the identity of biotechnological targets.