The strain was isolated by Kotter (1939) from a patient in Indonesia in 1930. The strain was later studied by Wolff (1953). In Wolff and Broom's list (1954) the strain is listed as representing a separate serogroup. Being the only member of that group it was tentatively attached to the Icterohaemorrhagiae group in the list of 1967 (WHO, 1967). In Dikken and Kmety's monograph (1978) the serovar sarminis considered as member of a subgroup Sarmin of the Icterohaemorrhagiae serogroup. The TSC decided in 1986 to restore the separate status of serogroup Sarmin because serovars had been described in the meantime.