[1][2][3][4] Additional species have been proposed based on DNA-DNA hybridization studies.

[5][6] "The hallmark of Erysipelothrix is the presence of a type B cell wall, in which the peptide bridge is formed between amino acids at positions 2 and 4 of adjacent peptide side-chains and not, as in the vast majority of bacteria, between amino acids at positions 3 and 4.

In humans, E. rhusiopathiae infections are termed erysipeloid.

Erysipelothrix tonsillarum has been described as a pathogen for dogs and has been isolated from the tonsils of healthy pigs and cattle.

Bacteria of genus Erysipelothrix are straight or slightly curved, slender, nonmotile rods that may exist singly, in V-shaped pairs, or in short chains.