Source: Isolated from pus in wounds. Habitat: Found particularly on nasal mucous membrane and skin (hair follicles). The cause, outstandingly, of furunculosis, pyaemia, osteomyelitis, suppuration of wounds, and food poisoning. Very common. 2. Staphylococcus epidermidis (Wins- low and Winslow, 1908) Evans, 1916. {Staph- ylococcus epidermidis albus Welch, Amer. Jour. Med. Sci., Phila., 102 (N.S.), 1891, 441; Albococcus epidermidis Winslow and Winslow, The Systematic Relationships of the Coccaceae, New York, 1908, 201; Evans, Jour. Inf. Dis., 15, 1916, 849; Micrococcus epidermidis Hucker, N. Y. Agr. Exp. Sta. Tech. Bull. 102, 1924, 21.) e.pi.der'mi.dis. Gr. noun epidermis the outer skin; M.L. gen. noun epidermidis of the epidermis. Spheres, 0.5 to 0.6 micron in diameter, occurring singly, in pairs and in irregular groups. Non-motile. Gram-positive. Gelatin stab: White surface growth with slow saccate liquefaction. Agar colonies: Circular, smooth; generally pale, translucent white. Broth (containing a fermentable carbohy- drate) : Heavy, uniform turbidity; ring pel- licle. Litmus milk: Acid. Acid is usually produced from glucose, fructose, maltose, sucrose, trehalose and glycerol. Acid may be produced from man- nose, galactose and lactose. No acid from xylose, arabinose, raflfinose, inulin, sorbitol or mannitol. Amino acids are required as a source of nitrogen. Some of the B vitamins, usually including biotin, are required for growth. Nitrites produced from nitrates. Catalase-positive. Aerobic, facultatively anaerobic. Grows readily at 37° C. Very salt tolerant, growing vigorously in media containing 10 per cent NaCl. Parasitic rather than pathogenic. Distinctive characters: Coagulase-nega- tive. Ferments glucose but not mannitol under anaerobic conditions. Source: Originally isolated from small stitch-abscesses and other skin wounds. Habitat: Skin and mucous membranes of man and other animals. Genus III. Gaflfkya Trevisan, 1885.* (Trevisan, Atti d. Accad. Fi.sio-Medico-Statistica in Milano, Ser 4, 3, 1885, 106; Tetracoccus von Klecki, Cent. f. Bakt., 15, 1894, 360.) Gaff'ky.a. M.L. fem.n. Gaffkya named for Prof. Georg Gaffky, a German bacteriologist. Occur in the animal body and in special media as tetrads, while in ordinary culture media the cells occur in pairs and irregular masses. Gram-positive. Aerobic to facultatively anaero- bic. Parasitic. The type species is Gaffkya tetragena (Gaffky) Trevisan. Key to the species of genus GaflFkya. I. White, viscid growth on potato. Found in the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract. 1. Gaffkya tetragena. II. No growth on potato. Causes a disease of lobsters. 2. Gaffkya homari. 1. Gaflfkya tetragena (Gaffky, 1883) Trevisan, 1885. {Micrococcus tetragenus Gaffky, Arch. f. Chirurg., 28, 1883, 500; Trevisan, Atti d. Accad. Fisio-Medico- Statistica in Milano, Ser. 4, 3, 1885, 106.) tet.ra'ge.na. Gr. pref. tetra- four; Gr. v. gennaio to produce; M.L. adj. tetragenus pro- duced in fours. Spheres, 0.6 to 0.8 microns in diameter, with a pseudocapsule (in body fluids) sur-
- Revised by Prof. G. J. Hucker, New York State Experiment Station, Geneva, New
York, March 1943; further revision, November, 1955.
