<i>Enterobacter</i>

Abstract

Abstract En.te.ro.bac'ter. Gr. neut. n. enteron , intestine; N.L. masc. n. bacter , a small rod; N.L. masc. n. Enterobacter , intestinal small rod. Cells of the genus Enterobacter are Gram‐stain‐negative, straight rods (0.3–2.0 μm × 1.8–5.0 μm), and the majority are motile with peritrichous flagella. The optimal growth temperature is 30°C, with clinical strains growing at 37°C. They are facultatively anaerobic, ferment glucose with the production of acid and gas, and reduce nitrate to nitrite. The majority of strains are positive for Voges–Proskauer, arginine dihydrolase, and ornithine decarboxylase and negative for indole, lysine decarboxylase, and H 2 S production. The major fatty acids are C 16:0 , C 18:1 ω7 c , C 17:0 cyclo, and summed feature 2 (iso‐C 16:1 and/or C 14:0 3‐OH). The fatty acids C 13:0 and summed feature 1 (C 15:1 iso H and/or C 13:0 3‐OH) are generally present in low amounts (minimum 1.4 and 1.6% of the total amount, respectively). Genome‐based phylogenetic analyses separate the majority of species of this genus; the exception is Enterobacter siamensis for which no genome sequence is available. They are widely distributed in nature, occurring in clinical, terrestrial, and aquatic environments. DNA G + C content (mol%) : 52–58.5 ( T m ). Type species : Enterobacter cloacae AL . Taxonomic and Nomenclature Notes According to the List of Prokaryotic names with Standing in Nomenclature (LPSN), the taxonomic status of the genus Enterobacter is: correct name (last update, February 2025) * . LPSN classification: Bacteria / Pseudomonadati / Pseudomonadota / Gammaproteobacteria / Enterobacterales / Enterobacteriaceae / Enterobacter The genus Enterobacter can also be recovered in the Genome Taxonomy Database (GTDB) as g__Enterobacter (version v220) ** . GTDB classification: d__Bacteria / p__Pseudomonadota / c__Gammaproteobacteria / o__Enterobacterales / f__Enterobacteriaceae / g__Enterobacter * Meier‐Kolthoff et al. ( 2022 ). Nucleic Acids Res , 50 , D801 – D807 ; DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkab902 ** Parks et al. ( 2022 ). Nucleic Acids Res , 50 , D785 – D794 ; DOI: 10.1