Yes, Haemophilus influenzae can grow on blood agar.
Although the organism's name includes the word "influenzae" it is not the same as the influenza virus. It is a bacterium and is treated the same as any bacterial infection with antibiotics. The taxonomy for haemophilus influenzae is: Kingdom:Bacteria Phylum: proteobacteria Class: Gamma Proteobacteria Order: Pasteurellales Family: Pasteurellaceae Genus: Haemophilus Species: Haemophilus influenzae
Haemophilus Influenzae
haemophilus influenzae b (HIB)
HiB disease
negative
False
No, Haemophilus influenzae is a gram-negative bacterium that does not produce endospores. Endospores are a unique survival structure produced by some species of bacteria, such as Bacillus and Clostridium.
Haemophilus influenzae was the first prokaryotic genome to be sequenced in 1995. It was a significant milestone in genomics and laid the foundation for studying bacterial genetics and evolution.
Rod shaped non-mobile bacteria."Haemophilus influenzae, formerly called Pfeiffer's bacillus or Bacillus influenzae, is a non-motile Gram-negative rod-shaped bacterium"(wikipedia).
The conclusion that Haemophilus influenzae causes influenza contradicted Koch's postulates because Haemophilus influenzae is a bacteria, not a virus like the influenza virus. Koch's postulates are specific for establishing a causal relationship between a microorganism and a disease based on isolation, culturing, and inoculation experiments, which would not apply in this case.
Hemophilus infections, most of which are due to Haemophilus influenzae infections, are a group of contagious diseases that are caused by a gram-negative bacterium, and affect only humans.