Taxonomic notes: synonymy of Enterobacter cancerogenus (Urosević 1966) Dickey and Zumoff 1988 and Enterobacter taylorae Farmer et al. 1985 and resolution of an ambiguity in the biochemical profile.

The descriptions of Enterobacter taylorae and Enterobacter cancerogenus show differences in key reactions (ornithine decarboxylase and D-sorbitol fermentation) that have not received attention and are inconsistent with the synonymy proposed by Grimont and Ageron (P. A. D. Grimont and E. Ageron, Res. Microbiol. 140:459-465, 1989). A reassessment of the biochemical properties confirms that they are synonymous. We believe that the priority of E. cancerogenus should be maintained in diagnostic and clinical microbiology even if the epithet could be misunderstood in a clinical setting.