Proposed 2025 Revision of the International Code of Nomenclature of Prokaryotes

Following an electronic discussion on the proposals for the 2025 revision of the ICNP, the ICNP Editorial Board compiled this document comparing the newly proposed version (right column) with the 'old version' (left column). It was distributed to the ICSP's voting members along with the ballot form. The 'old version' comprises the 2022 revision of the ICNP and all amendments already approved by the ICSP in previous ballots. Yellow highlighting indicates changes proposed by the ICNP Editorial Board in the IJSEM article prior to the start of the discussion. Changes proposed during the discussion and agreed by the ICNP Editorial Board are highlighted in turquoise. Please note that the document does not include the proposed new version of a number of tables that were too large to be easily incorporated into the two-column format.

All of the changes proposed by the Editorial Board in the version submitted for voting on are minor: textual clarifications, the addition of examples and cross-references within the code, and minor grammatical and typographical corrections. No major changes proposed during the debate have been incorporated that would require prior publication in the IJSEM and a separate discussion period, as set out in the ICSP statutes.

Note: The ballot closed on 31 October 2025. There was a turnout of 91%, and the proposed changes were approved by between 86% and 94% of voters (between 80% and 87% of those eligible to vote).