Isolation of Haemophilus species from the oropharynx of British sheep.

Specimens from the oropharynx of 51 adult sheep were cultured for the presence of Haemophilus species using a selective chocolate agar containing cloxacillin and bacitracin. From these sheep three X-dependent strains closely resembling Haemophilus avis, and two haemolytic V-dependent and 37 non-haemolytic V-dependent strains were isolated. The precise classification of these V-dependent strains requires further investigation but they were tentatively identified as being H parahaemolyticus and H parainfluenzae respectively.