Candidatus Ornithobacterium hominis is a gram-negative bacterial species that colonises the human respiratory tract.
It has been detected in microbiome data from people around the world, including The Gambia,[2] Madagascar and Central African Republic,[3] Kenya,[4] Mae La refugee camp in Thailand,[5] rural Venezuela,[6] Australia,[7] and Fiji.
O. hominis can be identified from its unique 16S rRNA sequence.
[9] Alternatively a clinical sample can be tested using a PCR assay targeting either the 16S rRNA gene or the conserved deamidating toxin gene ToxA.
Colonies grow slowly in a mixed bacterial sample and may require up to 5 days incubation at 35-37°C.