Authors' reply

摘要

Andreas Voss and colleagues have alluded to the fact that 16SrRNA sequencing in the early 2000s allowed Elizabethkingia to be placed separately from the genus of Chryseobacterium. Next-generation sequencing has facilitated a higher level of differentiation between two very distinct species of Elizabethkingia, namely Elizabethkingia meningoseptica and Elizabethkingia anophelis. Our analyses identifying the intensive-care unit outbreak strain as E anophelis is not just a reclassification of an old species as Voss and colleagues suggest. E anophelis is an entirely separate species with infection potential. E anophelis is presently understudied but should not be considered irrelevant in the clinical setting. Our sequencing data suggest the presence of a substantial number of virulence determinants, and studies to assess E anophelis' virulence potential in animal are in progress.