A bacterium or organism that requires blood or blood components to grow and survive in laboratory cultures.
From Greek 'haima' (blood) + 'philos' (loving or having affinity for), literally 'blood-loving'. This term describes organisms discovered to be dependent on blood nutrients in early microbiology.
Haemophil bacteria are picky eaters that won't grow on regular lab plates—they're like finicky restaurant critics that demand the finest 'blood cuisine', which is why doctors must use special chocolate agar plates (which contains blood) to culture them.
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