Capitalizing names of organisms (genus and species)

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Always capitalize the genus name and the abbreviated form of the genus name when it is accompanied by a species name.

Haemophilus influenzae, H. influenzae
Staphylococcus aureus, S. aureus
Escherichia coli, E. coli

NOTE: This differs from the AMA Manual of Style, which specifies that the formal name of a genus is capitalized when used in the singular, with or without a species name.

Staphylococcus
Escherichia

Do not capitalize the genus name when it is used in plural and adjectival forms, or when used in the vernacular or when it stands alone without a species name. (See exception note above.)

staphylococcus
escherichia
staphylococci (plural)
staphylococcal (adjectival)
strep (vernacular)

The suffixes -osis and -iasis indicate disease caused by a particular class of infectious agents or types of infection. These are common nouns and are not capitalized.

candidiasis
dermatophytosis

Do not capitalize the name of a species, variety or subspecies of organism.

Do capitalize phylum, class order or family.