Dictionary > Enterobacteriaceae

Enterobacteriaceae

Definition
noun:
(taxonomy) A family of gram-negative bacilli that inhabit the large intestine of humans and other mammals
Supplement
The family Enterobacteriaceae includes gram-negative bacilli and belongs to Class Gammaproteobacteria. Members of the family Enterobacteriaceae are mostly nonpathogenic and present in the lower part of the intestine of their human and other mammalian hosts as commensals and symbionts. They are part of the normal gut flora, providing by synthesizing vitamin K, which the hosts are unable to synthesize on their own. Nevertheless, some of them may become opportunists or pathogenic, causing diseases such as gastroenteritis, urinary tract infections, etc.
They are typically 1-5 μm in length. They lack cytochrome C oxidase, except for Plesiomonas shigelloides. They are facultative anaerobes, fermenting sugars to produce lactic acid. Most of them reduce nitrate to nitrite; an exception to this is Photorhabdus species. Many of them have flagella as their locomotory organ. On blood agar, they appear as small grey colonies. They are non-spore-forming.
Enterobacteriaceae includes the following genera:

  • Citrobacter
  • Cronobacter
  • Enterobacter
  • Escherichia, e.g. E. coli
  • Hafnia
  • Klebsiella
  • Pantoea
  • Plesiomonas
  • Proteus
  • Raoultella
  • Salmonella
  • Serratia
  • Shigella

Word origin: Greek énteron (intestine)
Scientific classification:

Other common name(s):

  • enterobacteria
  • See also:


    You will also like...

    squirrel
    Animal Water Regulation

    Animals adapt to their environment in aspects of anatomy, physiology, and behavior. This tutorial will help you understa..

    Plant Water Regulation
    Plant Water Regulation

    Plants need to regulate water in order to stay upright and structurally stable. Find out the different evolutionary adap..

    Water Cycle
    The Water Cycle

    The water cycle (also referred to as the hydrological cycle) is a system of continuous transfer of water from the air, s..

    Adaptation Tutorial
    Adaptation Tutorial

    Adaptation, in biology and ecology, refers to the process or trait through which organisms or the populations in a habit..

    Plant biology
    Plant Biology

    Plantlife can be studied at a variety of levels, from the molecular, genetic and biochemical level through organelles, c..

    Early Earth
    The Origins of Life

    This tutorial digs into the past to investigate the origins of life. The section is split into geological periods in the..

    Related Articles...

    No related articles found

    See all Related Topics