Terms & Conditions

You agree to use the PubMLST website (“Website”) on the basis of these terms exclusively. If you do not accept all of these terms, do not use this Website.

  1. The provider of this Website is the University of Oxford acting through the Department of Zoology (“University”/”we”). We can be contacted at keith.jolleyatzoo.ox.ac.uk and martin.maidenatzoo.ox.ac.uk.
  2. A guide for using the Website can be found here: https://pubmlst.org/software/database/bigsdb/, which (subject to these terms) also serves to define the permitted uses of the Website and its content.
  3. For each MLST scheme, there are two main databases accessible in PubMLST: (1) “Sequence and profiles definitions database” and (2) “Isolate database”. Please refer to submission instructions listed on specific database pages.
  4. The primary purpose of this Website is to generally make available free of charge to the global scientific community the Multi Locus Sequence Typing database (hereafter “MLST”) for the typing and global epidemiology of bacterial pathogens. Data analysis for research should be viewed as a secondary objective.
  5. We have a uniform policy of free and unrestricted access to all of the MLST data. Scientists worldwide can access these data to plan experiments or publish any analysis or critique. Appropriate credit is given by citing the original submission, following the practices of scientists utilising published scientific literature. Ribosomal MLST (rMLST) data are covered by a separate license agreement (see https://pubmlst.org/rmlst/).
  6. We welcome users to submit their MLST data in order to strengthen the resource. For reasons of security and accountability, we require that all users who wish to submit data are registered with the curator and provide an email address. Contact details for curators are listed on the respective organism page. You are encouraged to notify us of any errors or potential updates that you become aware of in any data that you have submitted or in the MLST. Please note that data you submit may not be verified by us. You are responsible for checking that you have the right to submit the data and the accuracy and quality of the data.
  7. Any data or information that you derive using MLST and which you publish must contain a reasonably prominent acknowledgement in the following terms: “This publication made use of the PubMLST website (https://pubmlst.org/) developed by Keith Jolley (Jolley et al. Wellcome Open Res 2018, 3:124 [version 1; referees: 2 approved]) and sited at the University of Oxford. The development of that website was funded by the Wellcome Trust”.
  8. The Website is provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis. To the fullest extent permitted by the applicable law, we exclude: (1) all warranties as to the satisfactory quality, fitness for a particular purpose, freedom from computer viruses and non-infringement of third party rights with regard to the Website and (2) all liability for negligence.
  9. We will not be liable for any loss of profits, direct or indirect, special, incidental or consequential damages resulting from the availability, non-availability or your use of the Website. The entire risk as to quality, performance and use of the Website is with you.
  10. You grant us the irrevocable non-exclusive right (with a right of sub-license) to display, copy, adapt revise or amend, publish, distribute, transmit, print and use all data and information and other material that you post or send to the Website. We will not be subject to any obligations of confidentiality and will be free to use that data, information and material for any purpose including commercial purposes.
  11. The database rights, copyrights, designs, trade marks and all other intellectual property rights in respect of the Website and its content, including all copies, adaptions and derivative works made by you (“IPR”) shall remain in the University’s (or our licensors’) ownership. Users’ rights to use the IPR are limited to those that are expressly granted or referenced by these terms.
  12. We reserve the right at any time and without giving notice to: (1) revise, amend or replace the content of the Website including MLST and the security or other procedures for use of the Website, as we may from time to time in our discretion decide; (2) suspend access to the Website generally or in respect of specific persons; and (3) to take down the Website temporarily or permanently.
  13. We reserve the right to modify these terms at any time without prior notice. You will be bound by any such changes and should, therefore, periodically visit this page to review the current terms.
  14. You agree that the Courts in England will have exclusive jurisdiction over any dispute or claim relating to your use of the Website or arising out of these terms.

Updated: 2018-11-01