Point-Counterpoint: What’s in a Name? Clinical Microbiology Laboratories Should Use Nomenclature Based on Current Taxonomy

The mnemonic SPICE ( Serratia , Pseudomonas , indole-positive Proteus , Citrobacter , and Enterobacter ) has served as a reminder to consider when a Gram-negative organism may carry a chromosomal copy of bla ampC , with the associated risk of developing resistance to first-, second-, and third-generation cephalosporins. However, in 2017, there was a well-founded proposal to rename Enterobacter aerogenes to Klebsiella aerogenes , based on whole-genome sequencing (WGS), and the SPICE mnemonic lost its relevance.