Haemophilus influenzae
| Haemophilus influenzae | |
|---|---|
 |
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| H. influenzae on a blood agar plate. | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Bacteria |
| Kingdom: | Eubacteria |
| Phylum: | Proteobacteria |
| Class: | Gammaproteobacteria |
| Order: | Pasteurellales |
| Family: | Pasteurellaceae |
| Genus: | Haemophilus |
| Species: | H. influenzae |
| Binomial name | |
|
Haemophilus influenzae (Lehmann & Neumann 1896) Winslow et al. 1917 |
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| Haemophilus influenzae infection | |
|---|---|
| Classification and external resources | |
| Specialty | Infectious disease |
| ICD-10 | A49.2 |
| ICD-9-CM | 041.5 |
| DiseasesDB | 5570 |
| MedlinePlus | 000612 (Meningitis) |
| eMedicine | topic list |
| Patient UK | Haemophilus influenzae |
Haemophilus influenzae (formerly called Pfeiffer's bacillus or Bacillus influenzae) is a Gram-negative, coccobacillary, facultatively anaerobic pathogenic bacterium belonging to the Pasteurellaceae family. H. influenzae was first described in 1892 by Richard Pfeiffer during an influenza pandemic.
The bacterium was mistakenly considered to be the cause of influenza until 1933 when the viral cause of influenza became apparent, and is still colloquially known as 'bacterial influenza'. H. influenzae is responsible for a wide range of localized and invasive infections. This species was the first free-living organism to have its entire genome sequenced.
In 1930, two major categories of H. influenzae were defined: the unencapsulated strains and the encapsulated strains. Encapsulated strains were classified on the basis of their distinct capsular antigens. There are six generally recognized types of encapsulated H. influenzae: a, b, c, d, e, and f. Genetic diversity among unencapsulated strains is greater than within the encapsulated group. Unencapsulated strains are termed nontypable (NTHi) because they lack capsular serotypes; however, they can be classified by multilocus sequence typing. The pathogenesis of H. influenzae infections is not completely understood, although the presence of the capsule in encapsulated type b (Hib), a serotype causing conditions such as epiglottitis, is known to be a major factor in virulence. Their capsule allows them to resist phagocytosis and complement-mediated lysis in the nonimmune host. The unencapsulated strains are almost always less invasive; they can, however, produce an inflammatory response in humans, which can lead to many symptoms. Vaccination with Hib conjugate vaccine is effective in preventing Hib infection, but does not prevent infection with NTHi strains.
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