Providencia stuartii is a Gram negative bacterium that is commonly found in soil, water, and sewage. P. stuartii is the most common of the 5 species found in the genus Providencia

Providencia

Providencia may refer to:* Providencia, Chile* Providencia District in Amazonas, Peru* Providencia Island, part of the San Andrés y Providencia Department district of Colombia in the Caribbean sea...

, with Providencia rettgeri, Providencia alcalifaciens, Providencia rustigianii, P heimbachae. Providencia stuartii can be incubated at 37°C in nutrient agar

Nutrient agar

Nutrient agar is a microbiological growth medium commonly used for the routine cultivation of non-fastidious bacteria. It is useful because it remains solid even at relatively high temperatures. Also, bacteria grown in nutrient agar grows on the surface, and is clearly visible as small colonies...

 or nutrient broth. P. stuartii is the genenomic source for the restriction endonuclease

Endonuclease

Endonucleases are enzymes that cleave the phosphodiester bond within a polynucleotide chain, in contrast to exonucleases, which cleave phosphodiester bonds at the end of a polynucleotide chain. Typically, a restriction site will be a palindromic sequence four to six nucleotides long. Most...

, PstI

PstI

PstI, is a Type II restriction endonuclease from Providencia stuartii. PstI recognition and cut site are as follows:...

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Role in diseases

Providencia stuartii is the most common Providencia

Providencia

Providencia may refer to:* Providencia, Chile* Providencia District in Amazonas, Peru* Providencia Island, part of the San Andrés y Providencia Department district of Colombia in the Caribbean sea...

 species capable of causing human infections. Providencia stuartii is an opportunistic pathogen

Pathogen

A pathogen gignomai "I give birth to") or infectious agent — colloquially, a germ — is a microbe or microorganism such as a virus, bacterium, prion, or fungus that causes disease in its animal or plant host...

 seen in patients with severe burns or long-term indwelling urinary catheters. This puts elderly individuals at a greater risk for P. stuartii infections. In animals P. stuartii infections can cause neonatal diarrhea due to P. stuartii infection in dairy cows. In humans, P. stuartii can be isolated from urine (most common), stool, and blood, as well as from sputum, skin, and wound cultures. P. stuartii septicemia is primarily of urinary origin. It is the most common cause of purple urine bag syndrome

Purple urine bag syndrome

Purple urine bag syndrome is a medical syndrome where purple discoloration of urine occurs in people with urinary catheters and co-existent urinary tract infection. Bacteria in the urine produce the enzyme indoxyl phosphatase. This converts indoxyl sulfate in the urine into the red and blue colored...

. Upon physical examination, P stuartii bloodstream infection is associated with fever

Fever

Fever is a common medical sign characterized by an elevation of temperature above the normal range of due to an increase in the body temperature regulatory set-point. This increase in set-point triggers increased muscle tone and shivering.As a person's temperature increases, there is, in...

, tachycardia

Tachycardia

Tachycardia comes from the Greek words tachys and kardia . Tachycardia typically refers to a heart rate that exceeds the normal range for a resting heart rate...

, and hypotension

Hypotension

In physiology and medicine, hypotension is abnormally low blood pressure, especially in the arteries of the systemic circulation. It is best understood as a physiologic state, rather than a disease. It is often associated with shock, though not necessarily indicative of it. Hypotension is the...

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Databases

• DSMZ German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures