ABSTRACT
One of the principal objectives of bacterial classification systems is to provide a reliable framework for the identification and classification of new isolates or unknown bacteria. An overarching goal in bacterial taxonomy has been the establishment of a natural phylogenetic classification that reflects the evolutionary pathways and history of individual groups of bacteria and provides insights with respect to their phylogeny and evolutionary relationships [1-3]. In practical terms, a phylogenetic-based classification system affords considerable advantage in providing greater stability for taxons, thereby reducing the often drastic rearrangements that have occurred with phenotypic-based systems used in the past.
