Phocaeicola is a genus of Gram-negative bacteria in the family Bacteroidaceae, within the phylum Bacteroidota. The cells are non-spore-forming, non-motile, and vary from coccoid to rod-shaped. They are strictly anaerobic and typically found in the gastrointestinal tracts of humans and animals.
The type species, Phocaeicola abscessus, was isolated from a human brain abscess in the Turkish coastal city of Foça, formerly known as ancient Phocaea, which inspired the genus name.
In 2020, many species formerly classified in the genus Bacteroides were reassigned to Phocaeicola based on whole-genome phylogenetic analyses.
Species As of 2025, the genus Phocaeicola contains the following validly published species:
Phocaeicola abscessus Al Masalma et al. 2009 Phocaeicola barnesiae (Lan et al. 2006) García-López et al. 2020 Phocaeicola coprocola (Kitahara et al. 2005) García-López et al. 2020 Phocaeicola coprophilus (Hayashi et al. 2007) García-López et al. 2020 Phocaeicola dorei (Bakir et al. 2006) García-López et al. 2020 Phocaeicola faecicola Choi et al. 2021 Phocaeicola fibrisolvens Hitch et al. 2022 Phocaeicola massiliensis (Fenner et al. 2005) García-López et al. 2020 Phocaeicola oris Chen et al. 2023 Phocaeicola paurosaccharolyticus (Ueki et al. 2011) García-López et al. 2020 Phocaeicola plebeius (Kitahara et al. 2005) García-López et al. 2020 Phocaeicola salanitronis (Lan et al. 2006) García-López et al. 2020 Phocaeicola sartorii (Clavel et al. 2010) García-López et al. 2020 Phocaeicola vulgatus (Eggerth and Gagnon 1933) García-López et al. 2020
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