About Enterobacter

General information:
Facultative anaerobic Gram-negative bacilli that are 2 mm long, are motile by means of peritrichous flagella.
A member of the ESKAPE group that contains the major resistant bacterial pathogens.
To date, 22 species have been found in the genus Enterobacter. These species are described in the environment and have been reported as opportunistic pathogens in plants, animals, and humans.
Characteristics:
The pathogenicity/virulence of Enterobacter remains rather unclear due to the limited amount of work performed to date in this field. In contrast, its resistance against antibacterial agents has been extensively studied.
Disease:
Enterobacter cloacae are saprophytic environmental bacteria and are part of the human gut microbiota. This Gram-negative bacterium is an important opportunistic pathogen in healthcare-associated infections in patients hospitalized in the intensive care unit. These infections encompass the lower respiratory tract, urinary tract, and meninges.
Selected genomes: ⇒ comparative pathogenomics ⇐
E. asburiae strain 17Nkhm-UP2, 4643312 bp, NZ_AP019630
E. chengduensis strain WCHECl-C4 = WCHECh050004, 5111427 bp, NZ_CP043318
E. cloacae isolate 1382, 4886885 bp, NZ_OW968328
E. cloacae strain M12X01451, 4918273 bp, NZ_CP017475
E. hormaechei strain FDAARGOS 1433, 4197933 bp, NZ_CP077308
E. kobei strain 11778-yvys, 4650094 bp, NZ_CP083828
E. roggenkampii strain DSM 16690, 4748414 bp, NZ_CP017184
Genome-related publications:
Chavda KD, et al., 2016. Comprehensive Genome Analysis of Carbapenemase-Producing Enterobacter spp.: New Insights into Phylogeny, Population Structure, and Resistance Mechanisms. mBio 7:e02093-16.
Wu W, et al., 2019. Characterization of a strain representing a new Enterobacter species, Enterobacter chengduensis sp. nov. Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek 112:491-500.
Liao W, et al., 2022. High prevalence of colistin resistance and mcr-9/10 genes in Enterobacter spp. in a tertiary hospital over a decade. Int J Antimicrob Agents 59:106573.
Major virulence factors in Enterobacter:
Adherence
Type 3 fimbriae - E. hormaechei
Type I fimbriae
Effector delivery system
T6SS-1
T6SS-1 secreted effectors
T6SS-2
Motility
Flagella
Exotoxin
α-hemolysin/HlyA
Shiga toxin
Immune modulation
Capsule - E. hormaechei
Biofilm
Curli

Genomic location of virulence-related genes in Enterobacter:

Back to Top