title: Isolation of presumptive Streptobacillus moniliformis from abscesses associated with the female genital tract.
abstract: We report three cases in which Streptobacillus moniliformis was isolated from abscesses. Abscess material in each case contained small, pleomorphic, gram-negative to gram-variable bacilli. Anaerobic blood agar cultures yielded pinpoint colonies adjacent to small gray-white colonies. The pinpoint colonies did not gram stain, and the gray-white colonies varied from gram-variable coccobacilli to long, curly, gram-variable rods. The pinpoint colonies microscopically resembled L-forms on Dienes-stained agar preparation. Subculture to serum-supplemented thioglycolate broth demonstrated "puff ball" colonies. Fatty acid profiles obtained with use of gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry showed major peaks for C16:0, C18:2, C18:1, and C18:0 fatty acids, a profile characteristic of S. moniliformis. Results of biochemical testing of each isolate were equivocal. S. moniliformis, bacterial L-forms, and common isolates from genital tract abscesses are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Microbiology Laboratory, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Pins
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Holden
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Madoff
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Ferraro
mesh_terms: D000038:Abscess / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D000328:Adult; D005227:Fatty Acids; D005260:Female; D005831:Genital Diseases, Female / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005836:Genitalia, Female / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D013288:Streptobacillus / Q000302:isolation & purification*
chemical_list: D005227:Fatty Acids