Terminology in Bacterial Genetics

Abstract

THE increasing complexity of bacterial genetics is illustrated by several recent letters in Nature¹. What seems to us a rather chaotic growth in technical vocabulary has followed these experimental developments. This may result not infrequently in prolix and cavil publications, and important investigations may thus become unintelligible to the non-specialist. For example, the terms bacterial ‘transformation’, ‘induction’ and ‘transduction’ have all been used for describing aspects of a single phenomenon, namely, ‘sexual recombination’ in bacteria². (Even the word ‘infection’ has found its way into reviews on this subject.) As a solution to this confusing situation, we would like to suggest the use of the term ‘inter-bacterial information’ to replace those above. It does not imply necessarily the transfer of material substances, and recognizes the possible future importance of cybernetics at the bacterial level.