Providencia alcalifaciens

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A Microbial Biorealm page on the genus Providencia alcalifaciens

Scanning electron micrograph of Providencia alcalifaciens [[1]]

Classification

Higher order taxa

Bacteria; Proteobacteria; Gammaproteobacteria; Enterobacteriales; Enterobacteriaceae; Providencia

Species

Providencia alcalifaciens

NCBI: [2]

Description and significance

"P. alcalifaciens" is a rod-shaped gram-negative bacterium. This bacterium is associated with diarrhea in children and travelers. It is found in the gastrointestinal tract. Scientists have found that some strains of "P. alcalifaciens" are invasive to HEp-2 cells, Vero, and Y1 adrenal cell lines in eukaryotes. The amounts of the HEp-2 cells were seen to decrease within 6 hours after infection. The microbe causes actin condensation in the invaded cells. "P. alcalifaciens" thrives in environments around 37 degrees celsius especially for invasion. A study found that the microfilament inhibitor cytochalasin D inhibits the invasion by "P. alcalifaciens".

Genome structure

NCBI: [3]

According to the NCBI database, P. alcalifaciens is made up of 4,022 protein sequences encoded in a 4.03 Mb genome. The GC content is 41.8% ². The genome was sequenced in 2008, isolated from human feces. Most "P. alcalifaciens" strains are organized in plasmids. Scientists are trying to determine whether the invasiveness and genome structure of the different bacterial strains have certain correlations concerning the presence of plasmids.

Ecology

"P. alcalifaciens" is found in many different human and animal reservoirs. It is usually found in the gut or digestive tract and mostly seen in travelers who have traveled to developing countries. Young children and the elderly are at a higher risk for this infection.

Pathology

Infection symptoms include diarrhea, abdominal pain, and fever. "P. alcalifaciens" is believed to be involved in gastroenteritis. This bacteria is associated with travelers overseas. A problem of treating the infection from "P. alcalifaciens" is arising due to antibiotic resistance.

References

Edited by Victoria Hughes of Dr. Lisa R. Moore, University of Southern Maine, Department of Biological Sciences, http://www.usm.maine.edu/bio