Proteus Vulgaris free essay sample

Proteus vulgaris is a gram negative, facultatively anaerobic, bacillus rodchemoheterotroph bacterium belongs to the family Enterobacteriaceae. It possesses peritrichous flagella, making it actively motile. P. vulgaris occurs naturally the intestional tracts of humans and animals, soil, fecal matter, polluted water, and raw meat. It is grouped with the enterobacteriacea and is an opportunistic pathogen of humans. In humans P. vulgaris is known to cause urinary tract infections and wound infections. P. ulgaris is associated with nosocomial infection, and has the ability to degrade urea to ammonia by production of the enzyme urease. McConkey agar contains lactose, which P. vulgaris does not ferment. It ferments glucose, sucrose, galactose, glycerol occasionally maltose with gas production, but never lactose. P. vulgaris ferments liquefies gelatin, casein, and blood serum, curdling milk with acid production. P. vulgaris provides a positive result for: sulfur reduction,urease production, tryptophan deaminase production, and indole production. It’s not limited to any specific temperature range, but good growth occurs at 20 to 30 degrees Celsius, while growth is poor at 37 degrees Celsius. We will write a custom essay sample on Proteus Vulgaris or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page P. vulgaris has two interesting features. The cells are highly motile and swarm across the surface of the agar plates, forming a very thin film of bacteria. When the cells stop and undergo a cycle of growth and division, the swarming periods are interspersed wth periods and the colony has a distinct zonation. The other feature is that. P. vulgaris can produce urease and degrade urea to ammonia. By alkalining the urine, P. vulgaris makes the environment more suitable for its survival. P. vulgaris is more prone to cause nosocomial infections. To prevent transmission of nosocomial pathogens within hospitals, the persistence of nosocomial pathogens on surfaces was assessed. The longer a nosocomial pathogens remains on a surface, the longer it may be a source of transmission and thus there is higher chance of getting exposed to a susceptible patient or hospital personnel. The result showed that P. vulgaris survived 1-2 days. To reduce the risk of transmission of nosocomial pathogens from inanimate surfaces to susceptible patients, disinfection of surfaces in specific patient-care areas is recommended.