Kingella

Abstract King.el'la. M.L. ‐ ella dim. ending; M.L. fem. n. Kingella named after Elizabeth O. King, an American bacteriologist. Straight rods , 0 . 6–1 . 0 × 1 . 0 to 3 . 0 μ m , with rounded or square ends. Occur in pairs and sometimes in short chains. Endospores are not formed. Gram negative , but there is a tendency to resist Gram‐decolorization . Nonmotile by normal tests, but may be fimbriated (piliated) and show “twitching motility.” Aerobic or facultatively anaerobic ; grow best aerobically, but can grow weakly under anaerobic conditions on blood agar. Optimal growth temperature, 33–37°C. Two types of colonies occur on blood agar: (a) a spreading, corroding type associated with “twitching motility,” fimbriation, and transformation competence, and (b) a smooth, convex type not showing “twitching motility”, fimbriation, or competence. Oxidase positive (when tested with tetramethyl‐ p ‐phenylene diamine; the dimethyl reagent may give weak or negative reactions). Catalase negative . Coagulated serum is not liquefied. Urease‐ and indole‐negative. Phenylalanine deaminase activity is negative or weak. Chemoorganotrophic. d ‐ Glucose and a limited number of other carbohydrates are fermented with production of acid , but no gas . Occur as normal flora in human mucous membranes of the upper respiratory tract. K . kingae is an emerging human pathogen, and K . denitrificans has been isolated from human infections. The mol % G + C of the DNA is : 47–58. Type species : Kingella kingae (Henriksen and Bøvre 1968a) Henriksen and Bøvre 1976, 449 ( Moraxella kingae (Henriksen and Bøvre 1968a) Bøvre, Henriksen and Jonsson 1974, 307; Moraxella kingii (sic) Henriksen and Bøvre 1968a, 383.) Taxonomic and Nomenclature Notes According to the List of Prokaryotic names with Standing in Nomenclature (LPSN), the taxonomic status of the genus Kingella is: correct name (last update, February 2025) * . LPSN classification: Bacteria / Pseudomonadati / Pseudomonadota / Betaproteobacteria / Neisseriales / Neisseriaceae / Kingella The genus Kingella can also be recovered in the Genome Taxonomy Database (GTDB) as g__Kingella (version v220) ** . GTDB classification: d__Bacteria / p__Pseudomonadota / c__Gammaproteobacteria / o__Burkholderiales / f__Neisseriaceae / g__Kingella * Meier‐Kolthoff et al. ( 2022 ). Nucleic Acids Res , 50 , D801 – D807 ; DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkab902 ** Parks et al. ( 2022 ). Nucleic Acids Res , 50 , D785 – D794 ; DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkab776