| Moraxella lacunata | |
|---|---|
| | |
| Microscope view of Moraxella lacunata bacteria | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Bacteria |
| Phylum: | Pseudomonadota |
| Class: | Gammaproteobacteria |
| Order: | Pseudomonadales |
| Family: | Moraxellaceae |
| Genus: | Moraxella |
| Species: | M. lacunata |
| Binomial name | |
| Moraxella lacunata (Eyre 1900) Lwoff 1939 (Approved Lists 1980) | |
Moraxella lacunata is a rod-shaped, [1] Gram-negative, nonmotile bacterium, generally present as diploid pairs. [2] It causes one of the commonest forms of catarrhal conjunctivitis. [3]
Moraxella lacunata was first described independently by Victor Morax (1896) and Theodor Axenfeld (1897), hence the alternate name "Morax-Axenfeld diplobacilli" and the name of eye infection in humans is sometimes called Morax-Axenfeld conjunctivitis. [2]
It has the ability to change its morphology in laboratory. M. lacunata became shorter and tended to lose its Gram-negative staining characteristic when left out for 5 days. It also tended to retain these new characteristics on subsequent blood-agar transfers. [4]
Infection occurs mainly in adults, but can occur at any age. It is characterized by:
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