A.bi.o.tro'phi.a. Gr. pref. a-, negative (un-); Gr. n. bios life; Gr. n. trophe nutrition; N.L. fem. n. Abiotrophia life-nutrition-deficiency.

Firmicutes / “Bacilli” / “Lactobacillales” / “Aerococcaceae” / Abiotrophia

Cells are mainly cocci, but pleomorphic ovoid cells, coccobacilli, and rod-shaped cells may occur. Pyridoxal hydrochloride (0.001%) or L-cysteine (0.01%) required for growth on blood agar. Nonsporeforming. Nonmotile. Gram-positive. Facultative anaerobes. Catalase- and oxidase-negative. Lactic acid is the major end product of glucose fermentation. Gas is not produced from glucose. Growth does not occur at 10 and 45°C or in the presence of 6.5% NaCl. Alpha-hemolytic on supplemented sheep blood agar. Pyrrolidonyl arylamidase and leucine arylamidase are positive. Hippurate is not hydrolyzed. Arginine dihydrolase is negative. Resistant to optochin and susceptible to vancomycin. The organisms have been isolated from human clinical specimens, such as blood with sepsis (Bouvet et al., 1989; Carey et al., 1975) and endocarditis (Bouvet, 1995; Bouvet et al., 1980, 1981).

DNA G+C content (mol%): 46.0–46.6.

Type species: Abiotrophia defectiva (Bouvet, Grimonet and Grimont 1989) Kawamura, Hou, Sultana, Liu, Yamamoto and Ezaki 1995, 802 (Streptococcus defectives Bouvet, Grimonet and Grimont 1989, 290.)