Pneumocystis carinii: Has the Name Really Been Changed?
Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New York
The proposed renaming of Pneumocystis carinii has caused much confusion and controversy among authors, peer reviewers, editors, and interested readers. Proponents of the new nomenclature emphasize the fact that the new names are judged to be “valid” by the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature. What is generally not appreciated is the fact that the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature does not make any determination as to the scientific correctness of proposed names; rather, it mandates the process of naming an organism. Thus, acknowledgement by the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature that new names for P. carinii have been validly published does not mandate their use. Rather, the scientific community interested in P. carinii needs to be aware of the issues involved in changing the name and then decide for themselves as to the correctness of the newly proposed names. Use of the newly proposed names for P. carinii should not be mandated by journal reviewers or editors.
Received 8 March 2005; accepted 29 July 2005; electronically published 4 November 2005.
-
(See the editorial commentary by Cushion and Stringer on pages 1756–8)
Cited by
Online publication date: 1-May-2007.
CrossRef
Online publication date: 15-Apr-2006.
Online publication date: 15-Apr-2006.
Online publication date: 15-Apr-2006.
Online publication date: 15-Dec-2005.



