Enterobacteriaceae

A family of aerobic, facultatively anaerobic, nonsporeforming bacteria (order Eubacteriales) containing Gram-negative rods. Some species are nonmotile, and nonmotile variants of motile species occur; the motile cells are peritrichous. These organisms grow well on artificial media. They reduce nitrates to nitrites and utilize glucose fermentatively with the production of acid or acid and gas. Indophenol oxidase is not produced by these organisms. They do not liquefy alginate, and pectate is liquefied only by members of one genus, Pectobacterium. This family includes many animal parasites and some plant parasites causing blights, galls, and soft rots. Some of these organisms occur as saprophytes which decompose carbohydrate-containing plant materials. The type genus is Escherichia.

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En·tero·bac·te·ri·a·ce·ae .ent-ə-rō-.bak-.tir-ē-'ā-sē-.ē n pl a large family of gram-negative straight bacterial rods of the order Eubacteriales that ferment glucose with the production of acid or acid and gas and that include the common coliform organisms and a number of serious pathogens of humans, lower animals, and plants see EBERTHELLA, ENTEROBACTER, KLEBSIELLA, PROTEUS, SALMONELLA, SERRATIA

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En·tero·bac·te·ri·a·ceae (en″tər-o-bak-te″re-aґse-e) a large family of gram-negative, facultatively anaerobic, rod-shaped bacteria of the order Enterobacteriales, usually motile with peritrichous flagella, consisting of saprophytes and plant and animal parasites of worldwide distribution. In humans, disease results from both invasion and production of toxins. Members of this family are a common cause of nosocomial infection, and species not normally associated with disease may be opportunistic pathogens. See accompanying table.