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Enterobacteriaceae
 
 
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The Enterobacteriaceae are a large family of bacteria, including many of the more familiar pathogen
Pathogen

A pathogen , infectious agent, or germ, is a biological agent that causes disease or illness to its Host .There are several substrates and pathways whereby pathogens can invade a host; the principal pathways have different episodic time frames, but soil contamination has the longest or most persistent potential for harboring...
s, such as Salmonella
Salmonella

Salmonella is a genus of rod-shaped Gram-negative enterobacteriaceae that causes typhoid fever, paratyphoid fever, and the foodborne illness salmonellosis....
 and Escherichia coli
Escherichia coli

'Escherichia coli' , is a Gram negative bacterium that is commonly found in the lower gastrointestinal tract of warm-blooded animals. Most E....
. Genetic studies place them among the Proteobacteria
Proteobacteria

The Proteobacteria are a major group of bacteria. They include a wide variety of pathogens, such as Escherichia, Salmonella, Vibrio, Helicobacter, and many other notable genera....
, and they are given their own order (Enterobacteriales), though this is sometimes taken to include some related environmental samples.

Members of the Enterobacteriaceae are rod-shaped
Bacillus

Bacillus is a genus of rod-shaped bacterium and a member of the division Firmicutes. Bacillus species are either obligate or facultative aerobes, and test positive for the enzyme catalase....
, and are typically 1-5 µm in length. Like other Proteobacteria they have Gram-negative
Gram-negative

Gram-negative bacteria are those bacteria that do not retain crystal violet dye in the Gram staining protocol. In a Gram stain test, a counterstain is added after the crystal violet, coloring all Gram-negative bacteria with a red or pink color....
 stains, and they are facultative anaerobes, fermenting
Fermentation (biochemistry)

Fermentation is the process of deriving energy from the Redox of organic compounds, such as carbohydrates, using an Endogeny electron acceptor, which is usually an organic compound....
 sugars to produce lactic acid
Lactic acid

Lactic acid , also known as milk acid, is a chemical compound that plays a role in several biochemistry processes. It was first isolated in 1780 by a Swedish chemist, Carl Wilhelm Scheele, and is a carboxylic acid with a chemical formula of C3H6O3....
 and various other end products.






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The Enterobacteriaceae are a large family of bacteria, including many of the more familiar pathogen
Pathogen

A pathogen , infectious agent, or germ, is a biological agent that causes disease or illness to its Host .There are several substrates and pathways whereby pathogens can invade a host; the principal pathways have different episodic time frames, but soil contamination has the longest or most persistent potential for harboring...
s, such as Salmonella
Salmonella

Salmonella is a genus of rod-shaped Gram-negative enterobacteriaceae that causes typhoid fever, paratyphoid fever, and the foodborne illness salmonellosis....
 and Escherichia coli
Escherichia coli

'Escherichia coli' , is a Gram negative bacterium that is commonly found in the lower gastrointestinal tract of warm-blooded animals. Most E....
. Genetic studies place them among the Proteobacteria
Proteobacteria

The Proteobacteria are a major group of bacteria. They include a wide variety of pathogens, such as Escherichia, Salmonella, Vibrio, Helicobacter, and many other notable genera....
, and they are given their own order (Enterobacteriales), though this is sometimes taken to include some related environmental samples.

Members of the Enterobacteriaceae are rod-shaped
Bacillus

Bacillus is a genus of rod-shaped bacterium and a member of the division Firmicutes. Bacillus species are either obligate or facultative aerobes, and test positive for the enzyme catalase....
, and are typically 1-5 µm in length. Like other Proteobacteria they have Gram-negative
Gram-negative

Gram-negative bacteria are those bacteria that do not retain crystal violet dye in the Gram staining protocol. In a Gram stain test, a counterstain is added after the crystal violet, coloring all Gram-negative bacteria with a red or pink color....
 stains, and they are facultative anaerobes, fermenting
Fermentation (biochemistry)

Fermentation is the process of deriving energy from the Redox of organic compounds, such as carbohydrates, using an Endogeny electron acceptor, which is usually an organic compound....
 sugars to produce lactic acid
Lactic acid

Lactic acid , also known as milk acid, is a chemical compound that plays a role in several biochemistry processes. It was first isolated in 1780 by a Swedish chemist, Carl Wilhelm Scheele, and is a carboxylic acid with a chemical formula of C3H6O3....
 and various other end products. Most also reduce nitrate
Nitrate

In inorganic chemistry, a nitrate is a salt of nitric acid with an ion composed of one nitrogen and three oxygen atoms . In organic chemistry the esters of nitric acid and various alcohols are called nitrates....
 to nitrite
Nitrite

The nitrite ion is NO2-. The anion is bent, being isoelectronic with ozone. More generally, a nitrite compound is either a Salt or an ester of nitrous acid....
, although exceptions exist (e.g. Photorhabdus). Unlike most similar bacteria, Enterobacteriaceae generally lack cytochrome C oxidase
Cytochrome c oxidase

The enzyme cytochrome c oxidase or Complex IV is a large transmembrane protein complex found in bacteria and the mitochondrion.It is the last enzyme in the respiratory electron transport chain of mitochondria located in the mitochondrial membrane....
, although there are exceptions (e.g. Plesiomonas shigelloides
Plesiomonas shigelloides

Plesiomonas shigelloides is a Gram-negative, rod-shaped bacterium which has been isolated from freshwater, freshwater fish, and shellfish and from many types of animals including cattle, goats, swine, cats, dogs, monkeys, vultures, snakes, and toads....
). Most have many flagella
Flagellum

A flagellum is a tail-like structure that projects from the cell body of certain prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells, and it functions in locomotion....
 used to move about, but a few genera are non-motile. They are non-spore forming, and except for Shigella dysenteriae
Shigella dysenteriae

Shigella dysenteriae is a species of the rod-shaped bacterial genus Shigella. Shigella can cause shigellosis . Shigellae are Gram-negative, Endospore, Facultative anaerobic organism, Motility bacteria....
 strains they are catalase-positive.

Many members of this family are a normal part of the gut flora
Gut flora

The gut flora are the microorganisms that normally live in the digestive tract of animals. Though widely known as the "intestinal microflora", this is technically a misnomer since the word root "flora" pertains to plants and biota refers to microbial life such as bacteria other than plants....
 found in the intestines of humans and other animals, while others are found in water or soil, or are parasites on a variety of different animals and plants. Escherichia coli
Escherichia coli

'Escherichia coli' , is a Gram negative bacterium that is commonly found in the lower gastrointestinal tract of warm-blooded animals. Most E....
, better known as E. coli, is one of the most important model organism
Model organism

A model organism is a species that is extensively studied to understand particular biology phenomena, with the expectation that discoveries made in the organism model will provide insight into the workings of other organisms....
s, and its genetics
Genetics

Genetics , a discipline of biology, is the science of heredity and Genetic variation in living organisms. The fact that living things inherit traits from their parents has been used since prehistoric times to improve crop plants and animals through selective breeding....
 and biochemistry
Biochemistry

Biochemistry is the study of the chemistry processes in living organisms. It deals with the structure and function of cellular components such as proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, nucleic acids and other biomolecules....
 have been closely studied.

Most members of Enterobacteriaceae have peritrichous Type I fimbriae involved in the adhesion of the bacterial cells to their hosts.

Genera in the Enterobacteriaceae


  • Alishewanella
  • Alterococcus
  • Aquamonas
  • Aranicola
  • Arsenophonus
  • Azotivirga
  • Blochmannia
  • Brenneria
    Brenneria

    Brenneria is a genus of Enterobacteria....
  • Buchnera
    Buchnera (proteobacteria)

    Buchnera aphidicola a member of the Proteobacteria, is the primary Endosymbiosis of aphids . It is believed that Buchnera was once a free living gram negative ancestor similar to a modern Enterobacteriaceae such as Escherichia coli....
  • Budvicia
  • Buttiauxella
  • Cedecea
  • Citrobacter
    Citrobacter

    'Citrobacter' is a genus of Gram-negative bacteria coliform bacteria bacteria in the Enterobacteriaceae family .The species C. amalonaticus, C....
  • Cronobacter
    Cronobacter

    Cronobacter is a genus of Gram-negative, Facultative anaerobic organism, oxidase negative, catalase positive, bacillus bacteria of the family Enterobacteriaceae....
  • Dickeya
  • Edwardsiella
  • Enterobacter
    Enterobacter

    Enterobacter is a genus of common Gram-negative, Facultative anaerobic organism, bacillus bacteria of the family Enterobacteriaceae. Several strains of the these bacteria are pathogen and cause opportunistic infections in immunocompromised hosts....
  • Erwinia
    Erwinia

    Erwinia is a genus of Enterobacteriaceae bacteria containing mostly plant pathogenic species which was named for the first phytobacteriologist, Erwin Smith....
    , e.g. Erwinia amylovora
  • Escherichia
    Escherichia

    Escherichia is a genus of Gram-negative, non-Endospore forming, Facultative anaerobic organism, rod-shaped bacteria from the family Enterobacteriaceae....
    , e.g. Escherichia coli
    Escherichia coli

    'Escherichia coli' , is a Gram negative bacterium that is commonly found in the lower gastrointestinal tract of warm-blooded animals. Most E....
  • Ewingella
  • Grimontella
  • Hafnia
  • Klebsiella
    Klebsiella

    Klebsiella is a genus of motility, Gram-negative, Oxidase test rod shaped bacteria with a prominent polysaccharide-based Capsule . Frequent human pathogens, Klebsiella organisms can lead to a wide range of disease states, notably pneumonia, urinary tract infections, septicemia, Ankylosing spondylitis, and soft tissue infections....
    , e.g. Klebsiella pneumoniae
    Klebsiella pneumoniae

    Klebsiella pneumoniae is a Gram-negative, non-motile, encapsulated, lactose fermentation , facultative anaerobic, rod shaped bacterium found in the normal flora of the mouth, skin, and intestines....
  • Kluyvera
  • Leclercia
  • Leminorella
  • Moellerella
  • Morganella
  • Obesumbacterium
  • Pantoea
    Pantoea

    Pantoea is a genus of Gram-negative bacteria of the family Enterobacteriaceae. It comprises seven species and two sub-species....
  • Pectobacterium see Erwinia
  • Candidatus Phlomobacter
  • Photorhabdus, e.g. Photorhabdus luminescens
    Photorhabdus luminescens

    Photorhabdus luminescens is a Gammaproteobacteria, belonging to the family Enterobacteriaceae, and is a symbiotic pathogen of insects....
  • Plesiomonas, e.g. Plesiomonas shigelloides
    Plesiomonas shigelloides

    Plesiomonas shigelloides is a Gram-negative, rod-shaped bacterium which has been isolated from freshwater, freshwater fish, and shellfish and from many types of animals including cattle, goats, swine, cats, dogs, monkeys, vultures, snakes, and toads....
  • Pragia
  • Proteus
    Proteus (bacterium)

    Proteus is a genus of Gram-negative Proteobacteria....
    , e.g. Proteus vulgaris
    Proteus vulgaris

    Proteus vulgaris is a rod-shaped, Gram negative bacterium that inhabits the intestinal tracts of humans and animals. It can be found in soil, water and fecal matter....
  • Providencia
    Providencia (bacterium)

    Providencia is a Gram negative, motile bacterium of the family Enterobacteriaceae. Some strains are opportunistic pathogens in humans and can cause urinary tract infections, particularly in patients with long-term indwelling Foley catheter or extensive severe Burn ....
  • Rahnella
  • Raoultella
  • Salmonella
    Salmonella

    Salmonella is a genus of rod-shaped Gram-negative enterobacteriaceae that causes typhoid fever, paratyphoid fever, and the foodborne illness salmonellosis....
  • Samsonia
  • Serratia
    Serratia

    Serratia is a genus of Gram-negative, Facultative anaerobic organism, bacillus bacteria of the Enterobacteriaceae family. The most common species in the genus, Serratia marcescens, is normally the only pathogen and usually causes Nosocomial infection....
    , e.g. Serratia marcescens
    Serratia marcescens

    Serratia marcescens is a species of Gram-negative, bacillus bacteria in the family Enterobacteriaceae. A human pathogen, S. marcescens is involved in nosocomial infections, particularly Central venous catheter#Infection bacteremia, urinary tract infections and wound infections, and is responsible for 1.4% of nosocomial bacteremi...
  • Shigella
    Shigella

    Shigella is a genus of Gram-negative, Endospore rod-shaped bacterium closely related to Escherichia coli and Salmonella. The causative agent of human shigellosis, Shigella cause disease in primates, but not in other mammals....
  • Sodalis
  • Tatumella
  • Trabulsiella
  • Wigglesworthia
  • Xenorhabdus
  • Yersinia
    Yersinia

    Yersinia is a genus of bacterium in the family Enterobacteriaceae. Yersinia are Gram-negative rod shaped bacteria, a few micrometers long and fractions of a micrometer in diameter, and are facultative anaerobes....
    , e.g. Yersinia pestis
    Yersinia pestis

    Yersinia pestis is a Gram-negative bacillus bacterium belonging to the family Enterobacteriaceae. It is a facultative anaerobe that can infect humans and other animals....
  • Yokenella

External links


  • Genome information on diarrheagenic E. coli, Shigella, Salmonella, Yersinia pestis, and Yersinia enterocolitica is available at the


  • Evaluation of new computer-enhanced identification program for microorganisms: adaptation of BioBASE for identification of members of the family Enterobacteriaceae