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Updated: Aug 11, 2025
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Using a Bacterial Pathogen to Probe for Cellular and Organismic-level Host Responses
Published on: February 22, 2019
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A comprehensive list of bacterial pathogens infecting humans
Abigail Bartlett1, Daniel Padfield1, Luke Lear1
1European Centre for Environment and Human Health, University of Exeter Medical School, Environment and Sustainability Institute, Penryn Campus, TR10 9FE, UK.
Microbiology (Reading, England)
|February 7, 2023
Summary
A comprehensive list of 1513 human bacterial pathogens, including established and putative infections, was compiled. This resource aids microbiologists in identifying and tracking emerging infectious bacterial agents.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Infectious Diseases
- Bacteriology
Background:
- Vast diversity of bacteria can cause human infections.
- No current, publicly available catalog of human bacterial pathogens exists.
- Understanding bacterial pathogenicity is crucial for public health.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compile an up-to-date, comprehensive list of human bacterial pathogens.
- To categorize pathogens based on established and putative infection evidence.
- To provide a foundational resource for microbiological research and public health.
Main Methods:
- Conducted an extensive literature search using a pragmatic definition of pathogenicity.
- Identified and cataloged bacterial species known to infect humans prior to 2021.
- Classified pathogens into 'established' (≥3 cases) and 'putative' (<3 cases) categories.
Main Results:
- Identified 1513 bacterial pathogens infecting humans pre-2021.
- 73% of pathogens were classified as established, and 27% as putative.
- Pathogen species span 10 phyla and 24 classes across bacterial phylogeny.
- New human pathogens are being discovered at an accelerating rate.
Conclusions:
- The compiled list represents a significant resource for microbiologists and infectious disease researchers.
- The findings highlight the continuous emergence of novel bacterial pathogens.
- The data can be expanded into a dynamic database for ongoing surveillance and study.
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