Pasteurellaceae

Haemophilus influenzae in human sputum

Pasteurellaceae are a family of Proteobacteria and are the only member of the order Pasteurellales. They are gram- negative, rod-or coccoid bacteria that differ from the Enterobacteriaceae by the presence of oxidase and of most similar bacteria by the absence of flagella. Some species are pleomorphic and change over time, their cell shape, in older cultures can often observe the formation of filaments ( hyphae ). In this family, there are some human pathogenic species, such as Haemophilus influenzae.

Ecology

The different types are usually obligate commensals ( "peaceful" roommate ) or parasites of mammals and birds. They usually colonize mucous membranes in the digestive tract, the respiratory organs, or in the genital tract.

There are aerobic, micro-aerobic to facultative anaerobic species. The facultative species can live under complete exclusion of oxygen, the best show microaerobic growth rates at low oxygen content in the environment. They feed chemoorganotroph, under anaerobic conditions, the metabolic pathway is the fermentation, usually found breathing instead.

System

The family consists of the genera:

• Actinobacillus Brumpt 1910
• Aggregatibacter Norskov - Lauritsen & Kilian 2006
• Avibacterium Blackall et al. 2005
• Basfia Kuhnert et al. 2009
• Bibersteinia Blackall et al. 2007
• Chelonobacter Gregersen et al. 2009
• Gallibacterium Christensen et al. 2003
• Haemophilus Winslow et al. 1917
• Histophilus Ballangen et al. 2003
• Lonepinella Osawa et al. 1996
• Mannheimia Ballangen et al. 1999
• Necropsobacter Christensen et al. 2011
• Nicoletella Kuhnert et al. 2005
• Pasteurella Trevisan 1887
• Phocoenobacter Foster et al. 2000
• Volucribacter Christensen et al. 2004