EnteroBase - hierarchical clustering of 100 000s of bacterial genomes into species/subspecies and populations

The Linnean system of species designation was applied in the the late 19th century to bacteria. Initially, bacteria have been been classified based on their disease specificity and phenotypic similarities. Since 1987, DNA has become the ‘gold standard’ for taxonomic designations. Microbiologists need large databases to identify and communicate about clusters of related bacteria. Such databases should contain the reconstructed genomes of bacterial isolates, together with metadata describing their sources and phenotypic properties. EnteroBase clusters core genome profiles into hierarchical clusters, thereby enabling automated classification of bacteria. The original article can be read online here.