Moraxella catarrhalis (M. catarrhalis)

Moraxella catarrhalis, historically referred to as Micrococcus catarrhalis, is a Gram-negative, aerobic, oxidase-positive diplococcus that is a significant human-restricted pathogen (StatPearls, 2023). While once considered a harmless commensal of the upper respiratory tract, it is now recognized as the third most common cause of otitis media in children and a major cause of infectious exacerbations in adults with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (PubMed, PMID: 15347747). Because the input refers to a whole organism rather than a specific protein or receptor, it is classified as 'is_incorrect' for a molecular target query. The bacterium is clinically notable for its near-universal production of beta-lactamases (BRO-1 and BRO-2), which necessitates the use of beta-lactamase-stable antibiotics or inhibitors like clavulanic acid (NIH, 2022). Current research focuses on the organism's outer membrane proteins (OMPs) as potential targets for vaccine development to reduce the burden of respiratory infections (Wikipedia, 2024).

Other names

Micrococcus catarrhalisNeisseria catarrhalisBranhamella catarrhalis

Antibiotics used against this organism target various bacterial processes, including cell wall peptidoglycan synthesis (beta-lactams), protein synthesis via the 50S or 30S ribosomal subunits (macrolides/tetracyclines), and DNA gyrase/topoisomerase activity (fluoroquinolones).