Indexing principles for Category B - Organisms

Category B contains the terms for living organisms. The coverage of organisms is extensive particularly for organisms that are of medical importance.

The organisms are treed taxonomically. If a particular organism is not a MeSH term, index that organism with the next higher taxonomic group that is a MeSH term. For example, rhinoceros is not a MeSH term. The rhinoceros belongs to the order Perissodactyla, which is a MeSH heading. The correct indexing term for rhinoceros is PERISSODACTYLA.

To determine the next higher taxonomic group for an organism, use one of the available reference tools. For most organisms, use the NCBI Taxonomy Browser. For plants, use the USDA Taxonomy Browser. Additional reference texts include Bergey's Manual of Systemic Bacteriology and the Eighth Report of the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses.

Category B1 Animals

Category B1 contains the terms for animals. The term ANIMALS is only used as the check tag and not as the IM heading.

Invertebrates
Invertebrates include insects, helminths, and protozoa. Many are of medical importance and many are common research animals. When used as research animals they are indexed NIM.

Do not make human related terms IM with invertebrates; instead index the invertebrate IM and the other term NIM. MeSH is annotated regarding this policy at many of these terms.

Reproduction in snails
SNAILS/*physiol
REPRODUCTION
ANIMAL (check tag)

The presence of a helminth or protozoan is indexed with the term where the helminth or protozoan is found with the subheading /parasitol not /microbiol.

Isolation of amoeba from the liver
LIVER/*parasitol
AMOEBA/*isol
ANIMAL (check tag)

There are many pre-coordinated headings in other trees used frequently with these terms such as ANTIGENS, PROTOZOAN, HELMINTH PROTEINS, GENES, PROTOZOAN.

Vertebrates
Vertebrates used in experimental studies are indexed NIM with no subheading. Check tags are available for some of the most common experimental animals. Vertebrates in veterinary, or comparative anatomy or comparative physiology articles will be IM and usually with a subheading. Check the annotations under each MeSH term for guidance regarding making the term IM or NIM.