FAMILY MICROCOCCACEAE 



283 



Genus II. Gaflfkya Trevisan* 



(Trevisan, Atti d. Accad. Fisio-Medico-Statistica in Alilano, Ser. 4, 3, 1885, 106; 

 Tetracoccus Klecki, Cent. f. Bakt., 15, 1894, 360; not Tetracocciis Orla-Jensen, The 

 Lactic Acid Bacteria, Mem. Acad. Sci. Danemark, Sec. Sci., 8 ser, 5, 1919, 154; Tetra- 

 diplococcus Bartoszewicz and Schwarzwasser, Cent. f. Bakt., II Abt., -21, 1908, 614.) 

 Named for Prof. Georg Gaffky, 1850-1918, Berlin. 



Occur in the animal body and in special media as tetrads, while in ordinary culture 

 media they occur in pairs and irregular masses. Aerobic to anaerobic. Gram-posi- 

 tive. Parasitic organisms. 



The type species is Gaffky a tetragena (Gaffky) Trevisan. 



I. Facultative aerobe. 

 II. Strict anaerobe. 



Key to the species of genus Gaffkya. 



1. Gaffkya tetragena. 



2. Gaffkya anaerobia. 



1. Gaffkya tetragena (Gaffky) Trevi- 

 san. {Micrococcus tetragenus Gaffky, 

 Arch. f. Chirurg., 38, Heft 3, 1883, 500; 

 Trevisan, Atti d. Accad. Fisio- Medico- 

 Statistica in Milano, Ser. 4, 3, 1885, 106; 

 Micrococcus tetragenus septicus Boutron, 

 Thesis, Paris, 1893; Abst. in Cent. f. 

 Bakt., 16, 1894, 971; Micrococcus tetra- 

 genus albus Boutron, ibid.; Merista sep- 

 tica Hueppe, Principles of Bacteriology 

 (Eng. trans.), 1899, 170; Sarcina seplica 

 Hueppe, ibid.; Sarcina tetragena Migula, 

 Syst. d. Bakt., 2, 1900, 225; Merista 

 tetragena Vuillemin, Ann. Mj^cologie, 

 Berlin, 11, 1913, 525; Staphylococcus 

 tetragenus Holland. Jour. Bact., 5, 1920, 

 224; Tetracoccus septicus Neveu-Lemaire, 

 Precis Parasitol. Hum., 5th ed., 1921, 

 18; Pediococcus tetragenus Pribram, Klas- 

 sifikation der Schizomyceten, 1933, 46.) 

 From Greek, tetra (tetara), four; M. L.- 

 ge7ies, producing. 



Spheres : 0.6 to 0.8 micron in size, with 

 pseudocapsule (in bodj^ fluids) surround- 

 ing four of the elements showing tj-pical 

 tetrads. Gram -positive. 



Gelatin colonies: Small, 1 to 2 mm. in 

 diameter, white convex. 



Gelatin stab : Thick, white surface 

 growth. No liquefaction. 



Agar colonies : Circular, white, smooth, 

 glistening, entire. Reimann (Jour. Bact., 

 31, 1936, 385) has described eleven 

 colony form variants for this species. 



Agar slant: White, moist, glistening. 



Broth : Clear, with gray viscous sedi- 

 ment. 



Litmus milk: Slightly acid. 



Potato: White, viscid. 



Indole not formed. 



Nitrites not produced from nitrates. 



Starch not hydrolyzed. 



Ammonium salts not utilized. 



Acid from glucose, lactose and 

 glycerol. 



No HoS formed. 



Aerobic, facultative. 



Pathogenic for mice and guinea pigs; 

 rabbits less susceptible. 



Optimum temperature 37 °C. 



Source: Isolated from sputum in 

 tuberculosis; also from air and skin. 



Habitat : Mucous membrane of respira- 

 tory tract. 



* Revised by Prof. G. J. Hucker, N. Y 

 York, :March, 1943. 



State Experiment Station, Geneva, New 



