Pseudomonadota

Pseudomonadota is a phylum of bacteria that corresponds to the well-known group Proteobacteria. The proposed renaming aims to standardize phylum names by the suffix -ota.

The phylum encompasses several classes: Alphaproteobacteria, Betaproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria, Deltaproteobacteria, Epsilonproteobacteria, and Zetaproteobacteria.

Organisms in Pseudomonadota are typically Gram-negative and lack endospores. They display a wide range of metabolic strategies, including chemoorganotrophy, chemolithotrophy, and, in some lineages, photosynthesis. They inhabit diverse environments such as soil, freshwater and marine systems, and associations with plants and animals, and include many genera of medical and ecological importance.

Ecological and medical significance: members play major roles in biogeochemical cycles, including nitrogen, sulfur, and carbon cycling. They also include numerous pathogens as well as beneficial symbionts, making them a central group in both environmental microbiology and clinical contexts.

Status: The name Pseudomonadota represents an alternative to Proteobacteria and reflects a broader effort to standardize bacterial naming with the -ota suffix. Its adoption is not universal; many databases, textbooks, and researchers still use Proteobacteria as the name for this phylum.