aseptisella

Aseptisella is a hypothetical genus of bacteria commonly used in microbiology education to illustrate principles of bacterial taxonomy and nomenclature. It is not represented as a currently valid taxon in major databases, and no species with this name are formally described in published taxonomic revisions. The name is constructed to reflect asepsis and the diminutive -ella, following conventional patterns for bacterial genera.

In teaching examples, Aseptisella is described as a small, Gram-positive, nonmotile coccoid bacterium; some descriptions use a broader coccoid to coccobacillary form to allow discussion of morphological variation within a genus. It is typically depicted as nonfermentative and either strictly or facultatively nonsporulating, with colonies that are white to beige and non-hemolytic on standard agar plates. The hypothetical genus is often portrayed as inhabiting sterile or semi-sterile environments to highlight aseptic technique and contamination control.

Taxonomic status: Because it is a fictional or educational construct, Aseptisella serves to demonstrate the process by which a new genus would be proposed, including the need for a published description, designation of a type species, and deposition of reference strains in culture collections, as required by international codes of nomenclature.

See also: Bacteriology, Taxonomy, Nomenclature, Asepsis.