Pseudomonadota

Pseudomonadota (synonym "Proteobacteria") is a major phylum of gram-negative bacteria. They include pathogenic and free-living (non-parasitic) genera. The phylum comprises six classes Acidithiobacillia, Alphaproteobacteria, Betaproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria, Hydrogenophilia, and Zetaproteobacteria. The Pseudomonadota are widely diverse, with differences in morphology, metabolic processes, relevance to humans, and ecological influence.

== Classification == American microbiologist Carl Woese established this grouping in 1987, calling it informally the "purple bacteria and their relatives". The group was later formally named the 'Proteobacteria' after the Greek god Proteus, who was known to assume many forms. In 2021 the International Committee on Systematics of Prokaryotes designated the synonym Pseudomonadota, and renamed many other prokaryotic phyla as well. This renaming of several prokaryote phyla in 2021, including Pseudomonadota, remains controversial among microbiologists, many of whom continue to use the earlier name Proteobacteria, of long standing in the literature. The phylum Pseudomonadota encompasses classes Acidithiobacillia, Alphaproteobacteria, Betaproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria, Hydrogenophilia, and Zetaproteobacteria. The phylum includes a wide variety of pathogenic genera, such as Escherichia, Salmonella, Vibrio, Yersinia, Legionella, and many others. Others are free-living (non-parasitic) and include many of the bacteria responsible for nitrogen fixation.