Kingdom Bacteria Class Gammaproteobacteria Family Moraxellaceae Rank Species | Phylum Proteobacteria Order Pseudomonadales Genus Moraxella | |
Similar Haemophilus influenzae biogroup, Moraxella, Moraxella osloensis, Acinetobacter calcoaceticus, Streptobacillus | ||
Moraxella lacunata is a rod-shaped, Gram-negative, nonmotile bacterium, generally present as diploid pairs. It causes one of the commonest forms of catarrhal conjunctivitis.
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History
M. 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.
Characters
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.
Clinical significance
Infection occurs mainly in adults, but can occur at any age. It is characterized by: