| Escherichia | |
|---|---|
 | |
| SEMmicrograph of cluster ofEscherichia coli bacteria. Each individual bacterium is oblong. | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Bacteria |
| Kingdom: | Pseudomonadati |
| Phylum: | Pseudomonadota |
| Class: | Gammaproteobacteria |
| Order: | Enterobacterales |
| Family: | Enterobacteriaceae |
| Tribe: | Escherichieae |
| Genus: | Escherichia Castellani & Chalmers 1919[1] |
| Type species | |
| Escherichia coli (Escherich, 1886) | |
| Species | |
E. albertii | |
Escherichia (/ˌɛʃəˈrɪkiə/ESH-ə-RIK-ee-ə) is agenus ofGram-negative, non-spore-forming,facultatively anaerobic, rod-shapedbacteria from the familyEnterobacteriaceae.[3] In those species which are inhabitants of thegastrointestinal tracts ofwarm-blooded animals,Escherichia species provide a portion of the microbially derivedvitamin K for their host. A number of the species ofEscherichia arepathogenic.[4] The genus is named afterTheodor Escherich, the discoverer ofEscherichia coli.Escherichia are facultative aerobes, with both aerobic and anaerobic growth, and an optimum temperature of 37 °C.[3]Escherichia are usually motile byflagella, produce gas from fermentable carbohydrates, and do not decarboxylatelysine or hydrolyzearginine.[5] Species includeE. albertii,E. fergusonii,E. hermannii,E. ruysiae,E. marmotae and most notably, themodel organism and clinically relevantE. coli. Formerly,Shimwellia blattae[6] andPseudescherichia vulneris were also classified in this genus.
While manyEscherichia are commensal members of thegut microbiota, certain strains of some species, most notably thepathogenic serotypes ofE. coli, are human pathogens,[7] and are the most common cause ofurinary tract infections,[8] significant sources of gastrointestinal disease, ranging from simplediarrhea todysentery-like conditions,[3] as well as a wide range of other pathogenic states[9] classifiable in general as colonic escherichiosis. WhileE. coli is responsible for the vast majority ofEscherichia-related pathogenesis, other members of the genus have also been implicated in human disease.[10][11]Escherichia are associated with the imbalance ofmicrobiota of the lower reproductive tract of women. These species are associated with inflammation.[12]
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