MORAXELLAE - DIFFERENTIAL FEATURES FOR IDENTIFICATION OF MORAXELLA-ATLANTAE, M-LACUNATA, AND M-NONLIQUEFACIENS

Moraxella atlantae, M. lacunata, and M. nonliquefaciens are similar in many of their features. Since growth of M. atlantae has been reported to be stimulated by bile salts, this and other features were examined for their ability to discriminate among these three species. Growth o f M. atlantae, but not of M. lacunata and M. nonliquefaciens, was stim ulated by sodium desoxycholate. Reduction of nitrate and deamination o f phenylalanine are also discriminatory features. Spreading growth on blood agar medium was a useful but not definitive feature for identifi cation of these species.