Taxonomy
Morphology
Cultural characteristics
Biochemical characters
Ecology
Pathogenicity
References
Phylum Proteobacteria, Class Gammaproteobacteria, Order Enterobacterales, Family Morganellaceae, Genus Moelerella,
Moellerella wisconsensis Hickman-Brenner et al. 1984. Type species of the genus.
Gram-negative, straight rods. Non-motile.
Colonies resemble Escherichia coli. No special growth requirements. Facultatively
anaerobic, growth temperature 30-37 ºC. Grows on media: Nutrient agar or nutrient
broth, Trypticase Soy Agar ± 5% sheep blood, MacConkey agar – red colonies,
Drigalski.
Rarely isolated from human feces & other clinical specimens. Some strains were isolated from food, water and feces of birds
(Falconiformes, Strigiformes) & insects (Lutzomyia longipalpis). Resistant to colistin, penicillin, ampicillin and carbenicillin.
Unclear significance; opportunistic pathogen. Moellerella wisconsensis has been associated with diarrhoea. Also, was isolated from
an infected human gallbladder.
- J. G. Holt et al., 1994. Facultatively Anaerobic Gram-Negative Rods. Subgroup 1. Family Enterobacteriaceae. In: Begey’s Manual of
Determinative Bacteriology, 9th-edition, Williams & Wilkins, pp 175-189.
- Don J. Brenner and J.J. Farmer III, 2001. Family I. Enterobacteriaceae. In: Bergey’s Manual of Systematic Bacteriology, Second
edition, Vol two, part B, George M. Garrity (Editor-in-Chief), pp 587-897.
- Hickman-Brenner F.W., Huntley-Carter G.P., Saitoh Y., Steigerwalt A.G., Farmer III J.J. & Brenner D.J.: Moellerella wisconsensis, a
new genus and species of Enterobacteriaceae found in human stool specimens. J. Clin. Microbiol., 1984, 19, 460-463.
- Adeolu M, Alnajar S, Naushad S, S Gupta R. Genome-based phylogeny and taxonomy of the 'Enterobacteriales': proposal for
Enterobacterales ord. nov. divided into the families Enterobacteriaceae, Erwiniaceae fam. nov., Pectobacteriaceae fam. nov.,
Yersiniaceae fam. nov., Hafniaceae fam. nov., Morganellaceae fam. nov., and Budviciaceae fam. nov. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol
2016; 66:5575-5599.
Positive results dor nitrate reduction, methyl red, citrate utilization (Simmons), ONPG,
catalase, acid production from: lactose, glucose (without gas), sucrose, adonitol, raffinose, melibiose, D-arabitol, D-mannose and
D-galactose.
Negative results for oxidase, indole production, Voges-Proskauer, H2S production (TSI), urea hydrolysis, phenylalanine deaminase,
lysine decarboxylase, arginine dihydrolase, ornithine decarboxylase, malonate utilization, esculin hydrolysis, gelatin hydrolysis (22
°C), lipase (corn oil), DN-ase, acid production from: dulcitol, salicin, myo-inositol, D-sorbitol, L-arabinose, L-rhamnose, D-xylose,
trehalose, cellobiose, alpha-methyl-D-glucoside, erythritol, glycerol and mucate.
(c) Costin Stoica