The taxonomy of haemophili isolated from conjunctivae.

The paper provides a description of 112 Haemophilus strains isolated from cases of conjunctivitis in Egypt, Tunisia, Denmark, and the U.S.A., and aims at a clarification of the taxonomy of haemophili implicated in conjunctivitis. Although the study confirms the diversity of haemophili which can be isolated from inflamed conjunctivae, the vast majority of strains could be assigned to either biotype II or III of H. influenzae. Thirteen strains possessed all the characteristics of the Koch-Weeks bacillus. However, judged by the findings the recognition of the Koch-Weeks bacillus as a separate species does not seem tenable. It is suggested that this organism is considered a haemagglutinating variety of H. influenzae biotype III. The study indicates that the haemagglutinating ability per se, which can be found in strains of several taxa of Haemophilus, is associated with a special pathogenic potential.