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Common Expressions: HAEMOPHILUS

Expressions Definition
Haemophilus influenzae Haemophilus influenzae, formerly called Pfeiffer's bacillus, is a non-motile Gram-negative coccobacillus first described in 1892 by Dr. Robert Pfeiffer during the influenza pandemic. It is generally aerobic, but can grow as a facultative anaerobe. Haemophilus influenzae was mistakenly considered to be the cause of the common flu until 1933, when the viral etiology of the flu became apparent. Still, Haemophilus influenzae is responsible for a wide range of clinical diseases. Because of its small genome, Haemophilus influenzae became the first free-living organism with its entire genome sequenced. Its genome consists of 1,830,140 base pairs of DNA and contains 1740 genes. The sequencing project, completed and published in Science in 1995, was conducted at The Institute for Genomic Research under the direction of Dr. Robert Fleischmann. (references)
Haemophilus influenzae biogroup aegyptius Haemophilus influenzae biogroup aegyptius (Hae) was discovered independently by Koch and Weeks in the 1880s. It is a causative agent of conjunctivitis. In and around the São Paulo State of Brazil during the mid 1980s to early 1990s a clonal group of Hae was found to be responsible for Brazilian purpuric fever (BPF), an acute septacaemic fulminant illness of children. (references)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Extended Definition: HAEMOPHILUS

Haemophilus

Haemophilus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Bacteria
Phylum: Proteobacteria
Class: Gamma Proteobacteria
Order: Pasteurellales
Family: Pasteurellaceae
Genus: Haemophilus
Winslow et al. 1917
Species

H. aegyptius
H. aphrophilus
H. avium
H. ducreyi
H. felis
H. haemolyticus
H. influenzae
H. paracuniculus
H. parahaemolyticus
H. pittmaniae
etc.

Haemophilus is a genus of Gram-negative, pleomorphic, coccobacilli bacteria belonging to the Pasteurellaceae family.[1][2] While Haemophilus bacteria are typically small coccobacilli, they are categorized as pleomorphic bacteria because of the wide range of shapes they occasionally assume. The genus includes commensal organisms along with some significant pathogenic strains such as H. influenzae—a cause of sepsis and bacterial meningitis in young children—and H. ducreyi, the causative agent of chancroid. All members are either aerobic or facultatively anaerobic.

Haemophilus species are classified by characterization of their capsule: seven serogroups exist, a—f and e′.[3] Capsule type b (Hib) is the most clinically significant because of its virulence.

Metabolism

Members of the Haemophilus genus are typically cultured on blood agar plates as all species require at least one of the following blood factors for growth: hemin (factor X) and/or nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (factor V). Chocolate agar is an excellent Haemophilus growth media as it allows for increased accessibility to these factors.[4] Alternatively, Haemophilus is sometimes cultured using the "Staph streak" technique: both Staphylococcus and Haemophilus organisms are cultured together on a single blood agar plate. In this case, Haemophilus colonies will frequently grow in small "satellite" colonies around the larger Staphylococcus colonies because the metabolism of Staphylococcus produces the necessary blood factor by-products required for Haemophilus growth.

See also

  • Pasteurellaceae

References

  1. Holt JG (editor) (1994). Bergey's Manual of Determinative Bacteriology, 9th ed., Williams & Wilkins. ISBN 0-683-00603-7. 
  2. Kuhnert P; Christensen H (editors). (2008). Pasteurellaceae: Biology, Genomics and Molecular Aspects. Caister Academic Press. ISBN 978-1-904455-34-9 . 
  3. Musher DM (1996). Haemophilus Species. In: Baron's Medical Microbiology (Barron S et al, eds.), 4th ed., Univ of Texas Medical Branch. (via NCBI Bookshelf) ISBN 0-9631172-1-1. 
  4. Ryan KJ; Ray CG (editors) (2004). Sherris Medical Microbiology, 4th ed., McGraw Hill. ISBN 0-8385-8529-9. 

External links

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia; from the article "Haemophilus". Image Credit.
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Topics by Level of Interest: HAEMOPHILUS

Topics sorted by level of Interest Level (1=low, 600=high)     Topics sorted Alphabetically Level (1=low, 600=high)
Haemophilus influenzae 18     Haemophilus 10
Haemophilus 10     Haemophilus ducreyi 4
Haemophilus influenzae biogroup aegyptius 4     Haemophilus influenzae 18
Haemophilus ducreyi 4     Haemophilus influenzae biogroup aegyptius 4

Source: the editor, created by/for EVE to gauge likely levels of human interest in linguistically triggered topics (compiled across various sources, such as Wikipedia and specialty expression glosses).