This article presents a comprehensive list of 45 bacterial names published or validated in 1998 that are relevant to medical and veterinary bacteriology. The authors compiled names validly published in the International Journal of Systematic Bacteriology (IJSB) or included in 1998 IJSB validation lists, focusing on bacteria isolated from humans or warm-blooded animals. Notable taxonomic changes included the unification of genera Microbacterium and Aureobacterium, and various nomenclatural corrections according to established bacterial nomenclature rules. The list encompasses new species, subspecies, new combinations, and new genera across diverse bacterial families, including medically important organisms such as Corynebacterium, Streptococcus, Staphylococcus, Mycobacterium, and Rickettsia species isolated from clinical specimens, animal sources, and environmental samples. Among 125 new species or subspecies proposed in IJSB during 1998, 43% were based on single strains, with 29 new genera proposed, seven based on single strains. Of 24 'medical' new species, only four were based on single strains, indicating that most clinically relevant new taxa had multiple strain support for taxonomic validity.

Key findings

• 45 new bacterial names of medical or veterinary interest were published or validated in 1998
• Among 125 new species/subspecies proposed in IJSB in 1998, 54 (43%) were based on only one strain, though medical species were better supported
• Genera Microbacterium and Aureobacterium were unified in 1998, with Aureobacterium species reclassified into emended Microbacterium
• New taxa included clinically important organisms from human clinical specimens, animal sources, and environmental samples across diverse bacterial families
• Type strains from all new taxa were deposited in recognized international culture collections for reference and future research