GRAM NEGATIVE BACILLI

Morphology

Cultural Characteristic

Biochemical test

Diseases

Escherichia coli

and plump motile rods

-develops greenish metallic

sheen (EMB)
-produce pinkish colonies
(MacConkey)
-produce yellow colonies
(XLD)

TSI : A/Ag
IMViC : + + - -

-UTI -neonatal meningitis Bacteremia

-pneumonia -nosocomial
wound

Klebsiella pneumonia

non-motile gram (-)

capsulated rods

develop large mucoid

colonies that exhibit +
string test (EMB,
MacConkey, XLD)

TSI : A/Ag
IMViC : - - + +

-Severe enteritis pneumonia -septicemia

-bacteremia -meningitis

Salmonellae

Gram (-) aerobic rods;

motile (peritrichous)
except S. gallinarum and
S. pullorum

-organisms develop
colorless colonies (EMB,
MacConkey, and Salmonella
and Shigella agar SSA)

TSI : K/A + H2S

IMViC : - + - +

S. typhi typhoid fever,

meningitis, osteomyelitis
S. paratyphi A & B
paratyphoid fever
S. paratyphi C septicemia
Salmonella enteritidis
gastroenteritis

Shigella

Gram (-) slender, non

encapsulated and nonmotile

-Colorless colonies (EMB,

SSA, MacConkey)
-pinkish to redish colonies
(XLD)
-green to blue green
colonies (HEA)

Enterobacter aerogenes

motile

pink colony (MacConkey)

TSI : A/Ag
IMViC : - - + +

-UTI - wound - septicemia

Proteus

motile gram (+)

swarm on BAP

TSI: K/A + H2S

Typhus fever

TSI K/A
IMViC V + -

Bacillary dysentery
(abdominal cramps, diarrhea
and fever)

pleomorphic rods

Edwardsiella tarda

motile

Arizona hinshawii

motile, late lactose

fermenter

Citrobacter freundii

similar to E. coli

Serratia marescens

motile

Morganella morgani
(proteus morgani)

IMVIC:
P. vulgaris + + - V
P. mirabilis - + V V
Serological test: Weil
Felix
Diarrhea, wound, bacteremia

Blue color (sodium

malonate medium)

production of DNAse

TSI: K/Ag + H2S

IMVIC: + + - TSI: A/A + H2S

C. freundii: UTI, pneumonia,

endocarditis, abscess
C. diversus: neonatal
meningitis

TSI: K/A
IMVIC: - - + +

nosocomial (pneumonia,
bacteremia, UTI)

plague

similar to Proteus

Yersinia pestis:

plaque bacillus
Gram - , non motile

Reddish pink colony

(Deoxycholate agar),
stalactite streamers (broth
cultures).

TSI: K/A
IMVIC: - + - -

Yersinia enterocolitica

Motile

Bulls eye colony

TSI: A/A

Vibrionaceae
Vibrio cholera (comma
bacillus)

Curved/comma shaped
rod, gram () rods,
exhibits darting motility,
fish in the stream.

yellow colonies with

opaque centers and
transparent periphery
thiosulfate citrate bile salts

Nitroso indo test

(Cholera red test)
TSI: A/A

Cholera

sucrose (TCBS), Tellurite

Taurocholate gelatin Agar
(TTGA).
Vibrio parahaemolyticus
Pseudomonas aeroginosa

Gram (-) rods, non

encapsulated

Green (TCBS)

Gastro enteritis (Sea food)

Produce large flat colonies

with round glass
appearance (BAP). Sweet
aromatic; fruity or grape
like odor.

Wound, burn, cystic fibrosis,

UTI.

Glanders disease (Farcy)

Pseudomonas mallei
(Glanders bacillus)

Non-motile, non
encapsulated

Pseudomonas
pseudomallei (whitmores
bacillus)

non motile

Wrinkled colony (ashdown

medium)

Pseudomonas maltophilia

motile with lopotrichous

flagella,

produces yellow tan

pigments develops an
ammoniacal odor (BAP).

Alcaligenes faecalis

motile with peritrichous

flagella, short gram (-)
rods.

Colorless (Mac Conkey agar)

Flavobacterium
meningosepticum

non-motile gram (-)

aerobic bacilli

produce yellow pigment

(BAP & CAP)

Haemophilus influenzae

Gramnegative, coccobacillary,
facultatively

Blood agar growth appear as convex, smooth,

pale, grey or transparent

Meliordosis or Glanders like

meningitis -bacteremia

catalase and oxidase

tests - positive

bacteremia, pneumonia, epi

glottitis and acute
bacterial meningitis

Bordetella pertusis

anaerobic bacterium

colonies

gram (-) minute

coccobacilli,
encapsulated, non-motile

pearl like (Bordet gengou)

whooping cough