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A Statistical Approach to the Definition of Bacterial Species
Author(s) -
Tsukamura Michio
Publication year - 1967
Publication title -
japanese journal of microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.664
H-Index - 70
eISSN - 1348-0421
pISSN - 0021-5139
DOI - 10.1111/j.1348-0421.1967.tb00338.x
Subject(s) - similarity (geometry) , value (mathematics) , group (periodic table) , mathematics , statistical analysis , statistics , statistical significance , test (biology) , statistical hypothesis testing , biology , ecology , chemistry , artificial intelligence , computer science , organic chemistry , image (mathematics)
A statistical method is proposed for recognition of a bacterial species or for differentiation of two groups of bacterial strains. Comparison between two groups is done by the “t”‐test. When the mean S‐values (similarity value) of two groups are A and B, and the mean S‐value for all possible combinations between strains of both groups is S, a condition necessary for defining the two groups as different species is to demonstrate the existence of equations A > S and B > S. Unless this condition is fulfilled, the two groups should be considered unseparable. The condition necessary for recognition of two groups as one species is to demonstrate the existence of equations A:= S and B = S. A few examples of the test were shown using the mycobacteria, and it was suggested that this statistical method is useful in the recognition of a species.