Genus Providencia
Taxonomy
Morphology
Growth conditions
Biochemical characters
Ecology
Pathogenicity
References
Proteobacteria => Gammaproteobacteria => Enterobacteriales => Enterobacteriaceae => Providencia =>
Providencia alcalifaciens – type species, Ewing 1962 (Eberthella alcalifaciens, de Salles Gomes 1944)
Providencia friedericiana Müller 1983
Providencia heimbachae Müller et al. 1986
Providencia rettgeri  Brenner et al. 1978, (Bacterium rettgeri Hadley 1918) (Proteus rettgeri Rustigian & Stuart 1943)
Providencia rustigianii Hickman-Brenner et al. 1983
Providencia stuartii  Ewing 1962, (Proteus stuartii Buttiaux et al. 1954)
Providencia vermicola Somvanshi et al. 2006 (new species proposed on the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis &  riboprint
patterns).
Gram negative rods. Motile.
Facultatively anaerobic, growth temperature 37 °C.
Nutrient agar (beef extract 10 g, peptone 10 g, NaCl 5 g, agar 20 g, distilled water 1000 ml, pH 7.2);
Trypticase Soy Agar ± 5% sheep blood.
Isolated from nature (water) and from clinical (urine, feces, blood, wounds & throat)
human & animal samples (mammals, birds and reptiles).
P. heimbachae has been isolated from penguin feces and an aborted bovine fetus.
P. vermicola has been isolated from the nematode Steinernema thermophilum.
May cause diarrhea & nosocomial infections (urinary infections).
P. alcalifaciens, P. rettgeri, and P. stuartii can cause enteritis – “travelers' diarrhea” (foodborne infections).
Reported case of P. rettgeri meningitis in crocodiles .

Providencia spp. are serologically related to Escherichia coli, Proteus, Morganella, Salmonella & Shigella. The O-antigenic  specificity is defined by the
structure of the O-antigen, a part of the lipopolysaccharide (LPS, endotoxin), one of the major components of the outer membrane of Gram negative
bacteria. LPS is considered  an important virulence factor.
  1. Bergey’s Manual of Determinative Bacteriology, 9th ed., 1994;
  2. Ewing W.H.: The tribe Proteae: its nomenclature and taxonomy. International Bulletin of Bacteriological Nomenclature and
    Taxonomy, 1962, 12, 93-102.
  3. Muller H.E.: Providencia friedericiana, a new species isolated from penguins. Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol., 1983, 33, 709-715.
  4. Muller H.E., O’Hara C.M., Fanning G.R., Hickman-Brenner F.W., Swenson J.M. & Brenner D.J.: Providencia heimbachae, a new
    species of Enterobacteriaceae isolated from animals. Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol., 1986, 36, 252-256.
  5. Brenner D.J., Farmer III J.J., Fanning G.R., Steigerwalt A.G., Klykken P., Wathen H.G., Hickman F.W. & Ewing W.H.:
    Deoxyribonucleic acid relatedness in species of Proteus and Providencia. International Journal of Systematic Bacteriology,
    1978, 28, 269-282.
  6. Hickman-Brenner F.W., Fanning G.R., Muller H.E. & Brenner D.J.: Priority of Providencia rustigianii Hickman-Brenner, Farmer,
    Steigerwalt, and Brenner 1983 over Providencia friedericiana Müller 1983. Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol., 1986, 36, 565.
  7. Ewing W.H.: The tribe Proteae: its nomenclature and taxonomy. International Bulletin of Bacteriological Nomenclature and
    Taxonomy, 1962, 12, 93-102.
  8. Somvanhi V.S. et al.: Providencia vermicola sp. nov., isolated from infective juveniles of the entomopathogenic nematode
    Steinernema thermophilum. Int. J. Syst. Evol. Microbiol., 2006, 56, 629-633.
  9. M. John Albert, A. S. G. Faruque, & D. Mahalanabis: Association of Providencia alcalifaciens with Diarrhea in Children, Journal
    of Clinical Microbiology, May 1998, p. 1433-1435, Vol. 36, No. 5.
Closely related to Proteus spp. See table at the end.
Biochemical properties of strains of Providencia friedericiana are very similar to those
of Providencia rustigianii (Müller 1983) therefore this 2 names will be considered
synonyms.

 

Pigment

Catalase

Oxidase

Lactose

ONPG

Arginine dihydrolase

Lysine decarboxylase

Ornithine decarboxylase

Providencia alcalifaciens

-

+

-

-

-

-

-

-

Providencia heimbachae

-

+

-

-

-

-

-

-

Providencia rettgeri

-

+

-

-

-

-

-

-

Providencia rustigianii

-

+

-

-

-

-

-

-

Providencia stuartii

-

+

-

-

-

-

-

-

 

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 P. vermicola see P. rettgeri. For P. friedericiana see P. rustigianii.
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