Studies of Pasteurella anatipestifer: an approach to its classification.

Moraxella spp., Pasteurella spp., and strains of P. anatipestifer were tested for biochemical reactions, growth temperature, viability, antibacterial sensitivity, and DNA base composition. P. anatipestifer was viable for shorter periods at 37 C, showed high resistance to polymyxin B and kanamycin, and had lower base composition than reported for Moraxella and Pasteurella spp. Because of these conditions, P. anatipestifer should be excluded from the genera Pasteurella and Moraxella.