These are the minutes from a 1996 meeting of the International Committee on Systematic Bacteriology's Subcommittee on the taxonomy of staphylococci and streptococci, held at the Institut Pasteur in Paris. The closed session covered administrative matters including officer elections (J. M. Hardie became Chairman, R. A. Whiley became Secretary) and new member appointments. Key scientific discussions addressed the need for minimal standards in species description, incorporating DNA-DNA base pairing and 16S rRNA sequence data. The subcommittee clarified its scope regarding various gram-positive cocci genera, with consideration given to future separation into distinct committees for Streptococcus-related and Staphylococcus-related organisms. Nomenclature standardization was adopted for Streptococcus groups, renaming the 'milleri group' as 'anginosus group' and 'oralis group' as 'mitis group'. Taxonomic issues were raised regarding Streptococcus dysgalactiae subspecies classification and the synonymy of Staphylococcus pulvereri and Staphylococcus vitulus. The open session featured scientific presentations on new genera of gram-positive cocci, 16S rRNA sequence applications, methicillin-resistant staphylococci, and identification methods for staphylococcal species.

Key findings

• Officer elections reorganized leadership: J. M. Hardie became Chairman with R. A. Whiley as Secretary
• The subcommittee agreed to publish minimal standards for species description using DNA-DNA base pairing and 16S rRNA data as desirable criteria
• Streptococcus species group nomenclature was standardized: 'milleri group' renamed to 'anginosus group' and 'oralis group' to 'mitis group'
• Staphylococcus pulvereri was identified as a later synonym of Staphylococcus vitulus based on DNA-DNA base pairing and other taxonomic criteria
• Future separation of the subcommittee into two divisions (Streptococcus-related and Staphylococcus-related genera) was considered appropriate