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Abiotrophia defectiva

  • General information

    • the following information is not yet verified
      A. defectiva is a fastidious organism that requires a complex medium enriched with L-cysteine or vitamin B6 as well as other unique nutritional requirements that are essential for growth.

      Taxonomy:
      Family: Aerococcaceae
      Genus: Abiotrophia and Granulicatella
      Formerly: Streptococcus defective, Nutritionally Variant Streptococci or satelliting streptococci

      Natural habitat
      They are members of normal flora of the oral cavity or upper respiratory tract as well as the intestinal tract.

      Clinical significance
      They are opportunistic pathogens, and are formally known as NVS (nutritionally variant streptococci) are normal residents of the oral cavity
      and are recognized as agents of endocarditis involving both native and prosthetic valves.
      These organisms have also been isolated from other types of infections, including ophthalmic infections, peritonitis in patients undergoing continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis, musculoskeletal infection, septic arthritis, and a breast implant-associated infection.

      Although it is rare for A. defectiva to cause endocarditis they have a greater morbidity and mortality than endocarditis caused by other streptococci due to its poor response to many antibiotics.

      Cases are rare.

  • Gram stain

    • the following information is not yet verified
      Gram positive cocci, 0.4-0.5 µm, coccobacilli arranged in pairs and chains.

      Varying as typical gram positive streptococci to gram variable, enlarged, pleomorphic coccobacilli, the microscopic morphology of the organisms is dependent on the type of medium.

  • Culture characteristics

    • the following information is not yet verified

      Facultatively anaerobic

      BA: no growth

      Chocolate agar: grow as small alpha-hemolytic colonies, max 0.2 mm in diameter.

      They grow as non-hemolytic or alpha-hemolytic satellite colonies adjacent to Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus sp

      McConkey: no growth

      BBAØ: growth

  • Characteristics

  • References

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