Abstract
The primary streptomycete inciting common scab of potato was first legitimately described by Thaxter in 1892 as Oospora scabies, preserving the spelling of an epithet in use since 1846. The name Streptomyces scabies, dating to 1948, was revived in 1989, but changed to Streptomyces scabiei in 1997 to follow grammatical convention. Considering the long-established use and general recognition of scabies, it is proposed that the original epithet be conserved.