Proteus - mucosal-immunology-lab/bacterial-database GitHub Wiki
Proteus
| Bacterial Information | Value |
|---|---|
| Taxonomy level | Genus |
| NCBI Taxonomy ID | 583 |
| Phylum | Proteobacteria |
| Family | Morganellaceae |
| Gram stain | Gram-negative |
| Oxygen requirements | Facultative anaerobic |
| Spore-forming | No |
| Motile | Yes |
| Image |
Table of Contents
Overview
Proteus species are widely distributed in the environment, are opportunistic mammalian pathogens, and cause food spoilage (raw meat, seafood, vegetables, canned food, and dairy). Proteus strains are able to grow in temperatures from 10°C – 43°C (optimal, 25°C), with swarming motility occuring between 20 – 37°C.
Members of this genus are commonly implicated in urinary tract infections, as well as cholangitis (inflammation of the bile duct system), liver abscess, and sepsis (Chew 2012)(Ahmed 2018)(Søgaard 2015).
Proteus mirabilis is the main causative genus in human infections. About 25% of people harbour P. mirabilis in the intestine (Wang 2014).
The cells are 0.4 – 0.8 μm in diameter and 1.0 – 3.0 μm in length. They have a peritrichous flagella (i.e. at both heads and along their length) to provide motility.
Biological information
Detection
Proteus species, as opportunistic pathogens, can be found in human and animal gastrointestinal tracts, skin, oral mucosa, and faeces. They can also be found in soil, water, and plants.
Crohn's disease
Proteus species are increased in faecal samples and colonic tissue of Crohn's disease patients compared to healthy controls. Increased Fusobacterium and decreased Faecalibacterium were seen in patients with high Proteus abundance (Zhang 2020). All isolates were found to be Proteus mirabilis – see species page for more details.