BIOLOGICAL PROPERTIES OF EXTRACTED MORAXELLA BOVIS CULTURES

Abstract

We have studied biological properties of extracted Moraxella bovis cultures. Bacteriological test of 583 pathological samples from cows, heifers, and calves resulted in extraction of 285 (48.89%) of Moraxella bovis cultures. None of extracted cultures of Moraxella bovis either utilized sodium acetate, reduced nitrates to nitrites, fermented carbohydrates, generated indole, were capable of moving, or grew on media containing 6% of sodium chloride, MacConkey agar, in presence of bile salts, or under temperature below 60 С. All cultures of Moraxella bovis thinned gelatin, had catalase reactivity, and induced haemolysis on blood agar. They also induced changes in litmus milk characteristic for Moraxella bovis. Hemolytic cultures of Moraxella bovis extracted from infected eyes were pathogenic for 2 - 3 months old calves if introduced into the lower conjunctival sac in amount of 0.5 ml of Moraxella bovis suspension. These cultures of Moraxella bovis were also pathogenic towards white mice if introduced subcutaneously in amount of 0.5 ml of Moraxella bovis suspension.