Hafnia (bacterium)
Encyclopedia
Hafnia is the genus
of the Enterobacteriaceae
family whose only species is the Gram-negative
, facultatively anaerobic
, rod-shaped
bacterium Hafnia alvei.
H. alvei is a commensal
of the human gastrointestinal tract and not normally pathogenic, but may cause disease in immunocompromised patients. It is often resistant
to multiple antibiotics including the Aminopenicillin
s.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of the Enterobacteriaceae
Enterobacteriaceae
The Enterobacteriaceae is a large family of bacteria that includes many of the more familiar pathogens, such as Salmonella, Escherichia coli, Yersinia pestis, Klebsiella and Shigella. This family is the only representative in the order Enterobacteriales of the class Gammaproteobacteria in the...
family whose only species is the Gram-negative
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
Facultative anaerobic organism
A facultative anaerobic organism is an organism, usually a bacterium, that makes ATP by aerobic respiration if oxygen is present but is also capable of switching to fermentation...
, rod-shaped
Bacillus
Bacillus is a genus of Gram-positive, rod-shaped bacteria and a member of the division Firmicutes. Bacillus species can be obligate aerobes or facultative anaerobes, and test positive for the enzyme catalase. Ubiquitous in nature, Bacillus includes both free-living and pathogenic species...
bacterium Hafnia alvei.
H. alvei is a commensal
Commensalism
In ecology, commensalism is a class of relationship between two organisms where one organism benefits but the other is neutral...
of the human gastrointestinal tract and not normally pathogenic, but may cause disease in immunocompromised patients. It is often resistant
Drug resistance
Drug resistance is the reduction in effectiveness of a drug such as an antimicrobial or an antineoplastic in curing a disease or condition. When the drug is not intended to kill or inhibit a pathogen, then the term is equivalent to dosage failure or drug tolerance. More commonly, the term is used...
to multiple antibiotics including the Aminopenicillin
Aminopenicillin
The aminopenicillins are a group of antibiotics. They belong to the penicillin family and comprise the members ampicillin, amoxicillin, and bacampicillin....
s.