In their studies on paracolon bacteria, Stuart, Wheeler, Rustigian & Zimmerman (1943) classified paracolon Aerobacter, which possessed the biochemical characteristics of
Aerobacter except that they were late or non-lactose fermenters, into two divisions on the basis of their IMVIC system. Each division was divided into types, on the basis of other biochemical reactions, which were designated simply by the numbers of representative strain in each type. Of these, type 32011 was incriminated as an incitants of enteric disorders, since the type was isolated frequently from patients.
Independently of the studies by Stuart and his co-workers, Møller (1954) set up a group of
Enterobacteriaceae, Hafnia group, of which the original strain was Paratyphus alvei. The establishment of the group was supported by Kauff mann (1954) who gave a species name,
Hafnia alvei, to organisms of the group. Later, it was confirmed by Edwards & Ewing (1955) and Sakazaki & Namioka (1957) that type 32011 of Stuart and his co-workers was identical with the Hafnia group.
In spite of the biochemical studies, there have been little serological studies of the group. Stuart & Rustigian (1943) who studied serologically 149 strains of the biotype 32011 starting with 35 strains, reported that strains of the type were serologically heterogenous. However, they tested their strains only with the serum prepared with the type strain. In addition, the results of their work were not given in sufficient details to the antigenic analysis of strains of type 32011, since they employed living cultures as antigen in serum production and in agglutination tests.
Deacon (1952) carried out serological studies on 17 cultures of slow lactose fermenting
Aerobacter cloacae including type 32011 and set up 12 O and 6 H antigens among them. Eveland & Faber (1953) also studied on 58 cultures of
Paracolobactruin aerogenoides (Borman, Stuart & Wheeler, 1944) belonging to type 32011. According to them the 58 cultures were divided into 21 somatic and 22 flagellar groups. In the previous paper, Sakazaki & Namioka (1957) pointed out that
Paracolobactrum aerogenoides cultures employed by Eveland & Faber included not only Hafnia cultures but also Cloaca and Citrobacter cultures. On the other hand, it is obvious from his description that several cultures of the 12
A. cloacae employed by Deacon belong to the Cloaca group, but do not to the Hafnia group. Therefore, the serological studies made in the past can afford little information for establishment of the systematic serology of the Hafnia group which would offer a contribution to the epidemiology of the group and assigning the taxonomical position in the family
Enterobacteriaceae.
Many provious workers attached importance to the organisms as incitants of enteric disorder.
In spite of the consideration as enteric pathogen of the group, however, no sufficient evidence has been demonstrated to date.
The present studies were carried out to obtain sufficient information on the biochemical and serological characteristics of the Hafnia group and to investigate their ability producing enteritis.
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