ABSTRACT
Classi©cation. The genus Finegoldia belongs to the class of clostridia, phylum Firmicutes. Finegoldia magna, the only species present in this genus, is the most commonly isolated gram-positive anaerobic coccus (GPAC) from human clinical specimens.1 The taxonomy of this species has changed dramatically. In 1933, F. magna was Šrst described by Prevot2 and named Diplococcus magna based on the cellular appearance. Holdeman and Moore3 added the species to the genus Peptococcus. In 1983, Ezaki et al.4 transferred Peptococcus magnus to the genus Peptostreptococcus. This transfer was based on DNA base composition, DNA-DNA hybridization data, and cellular fatty acid proŠles. ClassiŠcation of GPAC using pyrolysis mass spectrometry (PMS) showed that P. magnus was distinct from other GPAC species.5 In addition, 16S ribosomal sequence analyses indicated that Peptostreptococcus magnus is phylogenetically distant from the other GPAC. Therefore, the genus Finegoldia was proposed to cover the species F. magna.6
