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Enterobacteriaceae
(en″tәr-o-bak-te″re-a´se-e)
a family of gram-negative, facultatively anaerobic, rod-shaped bacteria, usually motile, made up of saprophytes and plant
and animal parasites of worldwide distribution, found in soil, water, and plants and in animals from insects to humans. In
humans, disease is produced by both invasive action and production of toxin. Species not normally associated with disease
are often opportunistic pathogens. Enterobacteriaceae have been responsible for as many as half of the nosocomial infections
reported annually in the United States, most frequently by species of Escherichia, Klebsiella, Enterobacter, Proteus, Providencia, and Serratia.
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