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Editorial
Mind your binomials: a guide to microbial nomenclature and spelling in Sexually Transmitted Infections
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  1. Nicola Low1,
  2. Kelly Stroud2,
  3. David A Lewis3,4,
  4. Jackie A Cassell5
  1. 1Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
  2. 2BMJ Publishing Group, London, UK
  3. 3Western Sydney Sexual Health Centre, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
  4. 4Centre for Infectious Diseases and Microbiology & Marie Bashir Institute for Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, Western Clinical School, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
  5. 5Department of Primary Care, Brighton and Sussex Medical School, East Sussex, UK
  1. Correspondence to Professor Nicola Low, Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine, Finkenhubelweg 11, University of Bern, Bern, CH-3012, Switzerland; low{at}ispm.unibe.ch

https://doi.org/10.1136/sextrans-2014-051937

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    Here is a quick quiz:

    Question 1: In which published articles is/are the name of the organism or condition spelled correctly?

    1. N. gonorrheae1

    2. Trichamoniasis2

    3. Chlamydiae trachomatis3

    4. Neisseria gonorrhoea4

    5. Neisseria gonorrhea5

    Answer: At the end of this piece.

    Question 2: Do you like it when someone misspells your name?

    Answer: We don't like it and you probably don't either.

    There are several reasons for expecting authors to spell scientific terms correctly. First, the conventions for scientific names are meant to allow scientists to communicate precisely and accurately with each other. Incorrect spelling or terminology of the names of microorganisms can cause confusion and perpetuate mistakes. Second, an incorrectly spelled name in the title3 ,4 of an article means that scientists searching for your article might not find it. Third, and maybe unfairly, poor spelling gives editors and reviewers the impression that you do not know or do not care about the subject of your research.

    A quick look at the mistakes made when spelling Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Chlamydia trachomatis suggests that people are confused about when to use the Latin …

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