Proteus mirabilis
Overview
Gram-negative
Gram-negative bacteria are bacteria that do not retain crystal violet dye in the Gram staining protocol. In a Gram stain test, a counterstain is added after the crystal violet, coloring all Gram-negative bacteria with a red or pink color...
, facultatively anaerobic
Anaerobic organism
An anaerobic organism or anaerobe is any organism that does not require oxygen for growth. It could possibly react negatively and may even die if oxygen is present...
, rod shaped bacterium. It shows swarming motility
Swarming motility
Swarming motility is a rapid and coordinated translocation of a bacterial population across solid or semi-solid surfaces. This type of motility is an example of an emerging concept in microbiology : bacterial multicellularity...
, and urease
Urease
Urease is an enzyme that catalyzes the hydrolysis of urea into carbon dioxide and ammonia. The reaction occurs as follows:In 1926, James Sumner showed that urease is a protein. Urease is found in bacteria, yeast, and several higher plants. The structure of urease was first solved by P.A...
activity. P. mirabilis causes 90% of all Proteus infections in humans.
An alkaline urine
Urine
Urine is a typically sterile liquid by-product of the body that is secreted by the kidneys through a process called urination and excreted through the urethra. Cellular metabolism generates numerous by-products, many rich in nitrogen, that require elimination from the bloodstream...
sample is a possible sign of P. mirabilis.
P. mirabilis can be diagnosed in the lab due to characteristic swarming motility, and inability to metabolize lactose
Lactose
Lactose is a disaccharide sugar that is found most notably in milk and is formed from galactose and glucose. Lactose makes up around 2~8% of milk , although the amount varies among species and individuals. It is extracted from sweet or sour whey. The name comes from or , the Latin word for milk,...
(on a MacConkey agar
MacConkey agar
MacConkey agar is a culture medium designed to grow Gram-negative bacteria and stain them for lactose fermentation.-Contents:It contains bile salts MacConkey agar is a culture medium designed to grow Gram-negative bacteria and stain them for lactose fermentation.-Contents:It contains bile salts...
plate, for example).
