ABIS Encyclopedia

Genus Providencia

Taxonomy

Morphology

Cultural characteristics

Biochemical characters

Ecology

Pathogenicity

References

Proteobacteria => Gammaproteobacteria => Enterobacteriales => Enterobacteriaceae => Providencia =>
- Providencia alcalifaciens – type species, Ewing 1962, synonyms: Proteus inconstans (Ornstein 1920) Shaw and Clarke 1955,
Eberthella alcalifaciens, de Salles Gomes 1944;
- Providencia burhodogranariea Juneja and Lazzaro 2009;
- Providencia heimbachae Müller et al. 1986;
- Providencia rettgeri Brenner et al. 1978, synonyms: Bacterium rettgeri Hadley 1918, Proteus rettgeri Rustigian & Stuart 1943;
- Providencia rustigianii Hickman-Brenner et al. 1983, synonym: Providencia friedericiana Müller 1983;
- Providencia sneebia Juneja and Lazzaro 2009;
- Providencia stuartii Ewing 1962, old synonm: Proteus stuartii Buttiaux et al. 1954;
- Providencia vermicola Somvanshi et al. 2006

Gram negative rods, 0.6–0.8 x 1.5–2.5 μm. Motile.

Colonies are up to 4 mm in diameter,white, opaque, glossy and convex. After 24–48 h
of growth, colonies of P. burhodogranariea express a brown pigmentation in their
centres. P. vermicola produce a soluble brown pigment, colouring the medium
around the colonies. Facultatively anaerobic, optimum growth temperature 37 °C.
Media: Nutrient agar, Luria-Bertani agar, Trypticase Soy Agar ± 5% sheep blood, BHI
agar.

Isolated from nature (water) and from clinical (urine, feces, blood, wounds & throat) human & animal samples (mammals, birds,
reptiles & insects).
P. burhodogranariea and P. sneebia were obtained from the haemolymph of Drosophila melanogaster (fruit fly).
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 species. 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.

J. G.Holt et al., 1994. Begey’s manual of Determinative Bacteriology, 9th-edition, Williams & Wilkins.1994.
Ewing W.H.: The tribe Proteae: its nomenclature and taxonomy. International Bulletin of Bacteriological Nomenclature and
Taxonomy, 1962, 12, 93-102.
Muller H.E.: Providencia friedericiana, a new species isolated from penguins. Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol., 1983, 33, 709-715.
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.
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.
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.
Ewing W.H.: The tribe Proteae: its nomenclature and taxonomy. International Bulletin of Bacteriological Nomenclature and
Taxonomy, 1962, 12, 93-102.
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.
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;
Punita Juneja and Brian P. Lazzaro: Providencia sneebia sp. nov. and Providencia burhodogranariea sp. nov., isolated from
wild Drosophila melanogaster. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol May 2009 59:1108-1111;
Don J. Brenner & J.J. Farmer III, 2004, Family I. Enterobacteriaceae, In: Bergey’s Manual of Systematic Bacteriology, Second
edition,Vol two, part B, George M. Garrity (Editor-in-Chief), pp. 740-744.

Closely related to Proteus spp.

Positive results for catalase, nitrates reduction, acid production from glucose & D-mannose.

Negative results for oxidase, beta-galactosidase, arginine dihydrolase, lysine decarboxylase, ornithine decarboxylase, DN-ase,
lipase, H2S production, Voges-Proskauer reaction, phenylalanine deaminase, gelatin hydrolysis, malonate utilization,
acid production from L-arabinose, cellobiose, dulcitol, lactose, melibiose, raffinose & D-sorbitol.