Proteus mirabilis
Genus Proteus
Taxonomy
Morphology
Growth conditions
Biochemical characters
Ecology
Pathogenicity
References
Proteobacteria => Gammaproteobacteria => Enterobacteriales => Enterobacteriaceae => Proteus =>
Proteus hauseri  O'Hara et al. 2000
Proteus mirabilis Hauser 1885
Proteus morganii  Yale 1939 (synonym of  Morganella morganii, Winslow et al. 1919)
Proteus myxofaciens Cosenza and Podgwaite 1966
Proteus penneri Hickman et al. 1983
Proteus rettgeri Rustigian and Stuart 1943 (Hadley et al. 1918 - Bacterium rettgeri),
synonym of: Providencia rettgeri, Brenner et al. 1978.
Proteus vulgaris Hauser 1885
Gram negative, straight rods, 0.4-0.6 / 1.0-3.0 μm. Non-pigmented.
Higly motile by peritrichous flagella, resulting a thin film of bacteria on the agar
surface (swarming).

The Dienes test can be used to determine whether two or more isolates of P. mirabilis are the same
or different. The test is based on the mutual inhibition of two different strains as they swarm towards
one another on solid medium surface. If the two strains are genetically distinct,  a clear line of
demarcation will form as the swarming edge of one strain meets the other. If the two strains are
related or identical, there is no mutual inhibition and the swarming edges merge with no visible
line of demarcation.
Facultatively anaerobic, growth temperature 37 °C.
Nutrient agar or nutrient broth.
Trypticase Soy Agar ± 5% sheep blood – swarming, transparent, non-hemolytic colonies (with few exceptions)
Mac Conkey -  white-transparent colonies (lactose negative) – swarming inhibitory medium
Rambach agar – white-transparent colonies (lactose negative) – swarming inhibitory medium.
Mueller-Hinton agar.
Isolated from urine, faeces (human & animals sources), soil & sewage. Commonly
found in the intestinal tract as part of normal flora.
Urinary tract infections, wounds & burns infections. Proteus mirabilis causes 90% of the infections (mostly nosocomial).
Urease production (increases the risk of pyelonephritis), together with the presence of fimbriae and bacterial motility may favor the
production of upper urinary tract infections.

Proteus vulgaris OX19 strains  have the same O-polysaccharides as the pathogenic bacteria Rickettsia prowazekii,  a pathogenic  
bacteria that causes typhus, that is why  it causes the same immune response as infection by Rickettsia (Weil-Felix test).
  1. Bergey’s Manual of Determinative Bacteriology, 9th ed., 1994;
  2. Hauser G.: Über Fäulnissbakterien und deren Beziehungen zur Septicämie. Ein Beitrag zur Morphologie der Spaltpilze. Vogel,
    Leipzig, 1885.
  3. O'Hara C.M., Brenner F.W., Steigerwalt A.G., Hill B.C., Holmes B., Grimont P.A.D., Hawkey P.M., Penner J.L., Miller J.M. &
    Brenner D.J.: Classification of Proteus vulgaris biogroup 3 with recognition of Proteus hauseri sp. nov., nom. rev. and
    unnamed Proteus genomospecies 4, 5 and 6. Int. J. Syst. Evol.  Microbiol., 2000, 50, 1869-1875.
  4. Winslow C.E.A., Kligler I.J. & Rothberg  W.: Studies on the classification of the colon-typhoid group of bacteria with special
    reference to their fermentative reactions. Journal of Bacteriology, 1919, 4, 429-503.
  5. Cosenza B.J. & Podgwaite J.D.: A new species of Proteus isolated from larvae of the gypsy moth Porthetria dispar (L.). Antonie
    van Leeuwenhoek Journal of Microbiology and Serology, 1966, 32, 187-191.
  6. Hickman F.W., Steigerwalt A.G., Farmer III J.J. & Brenner D.J.: Identification of Proteus penneri sp. nov., formerly known as
    Proteus vulgaris indole negative or as Proteus vulgaris biogroup 1. J. Clin. Microbiol., 1982, 15, 1097-1102.
  7. Amano K.I., Williams J.C., Dasch G.A.: Structural properties of lipopolysaccharides from Rickettsia typhi and Rickettsia
    prowazekii and their chemical similarity to the lipopolysaccharide from Proteus vulgaris OX 19 used in the Weil-Felix test. Infect
    Immun. 1998 Mar;66(3):923-926.
Urease positive. See table at the end.
Biochemically Proteus hauseri  is similar to strains commonly identified as Proteus
vulgaris, but esculin & salicin negative (only 2 strains of Proteus hauseri  reported).

 

Pigment

Catalase

Oxidase

Lactose

ONPG

Arginine dihydrolase

Lysine decarboxylase

Ornithine decarboxylase

Proteus mirabilis

-

+

-

-

-

-

-

+

Proteus myxofaciens

-

+

-

-

-

-

-

-

Proteus penneri

-

+

-

-

-

-

-

-

Proteus vulgaris

-

+

-

-

-

-

-

-

 

Indole production

Citrate utilization

Hydrogen sulfide

Urea hydrolysis

Voges-Proskauer

Phenilalanine

Motility

Gelatinase

Growth on KCN media

Malonate

-

=

+

+

=

+

+

+

+

-

-

+

-

+

+

+

+

+

+

-

-

-

=

+

-

+

[+]

=

+

-

+

[-]

+

+

-

+

+

+

+

-

 

Glucose

Gas from glucose

D-Mannitol

Inositol

D-Sorbitol

L-Rhamnose

Sucrose (Sacharose)

Melibiose

L-Arabinose

Nitrate reduction

+

+

-

-

-

-

[-]

-

-

+

+

+

-

-

-

-

+

-

-

+

+

=

-

-

-

-

+

-

-

+

+

[+]

-

-

-

-

+

-

-

+

 

Cellobiose

Dulcitol

Glycerol

Maltose

D-Mannose

Alfa-Methyl-D-Glucoside

Raffinose

Salicin

Trehalose

D-Xylose

-

-

=

-

-

-

-

-

+

+

-

-

+

+

-

+

-

-

+

-

-

-

=

+

-

[+]

-

-

=

+

-

-

=

+

-

=

-

=

=

+

 

Mucate

Tartrate (Jordans)

Esculin hydrolysis

Acetate utilization

Deoxyribonuclease

Lipase

Mehyl red

D-Adonitol

-

[+]

-

[-]

=

+

+

-

-

+

-

-

+

+

+

-

-

[+]

-

-

=

=

+

-

-

[+]

=

[-]

[+]

[+]

+

-
For Proteus morganii see Morganella morganii.
For Proteus rettgeri see Providencia rettgeri.
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