The family of Enterobacteriaceae is quite diverse. Most species of enterobacteria are common inhabitants of our gut. There they serve a useful purpose: they digest our food and produce vitamins. But this family is two-faced. Some species of this family can cause some nasty infections.
The family of Enterobacteriaceae is quite diverse. Most species of enterobacteria are common inhabitants of our gut. There they serve a useful purpose: they digest our food and produce vitamins. But this family is two-faced. Some species of this family can cause some nasty infections.
Famous or ill-famed
A lot of bacterial species from the Enterobacteriaceae-family will sound familiar. Some are quite ill-famed. You might know Salmonella from food poisoning, Shigella from causing diarrhea, and an E. coli at the wrong place can cause a bladder infection. However, most species are our allies. E. coli, for example, is our most famous gut inhabitant. On top of that, the species is irreplaceable in microbiological research.