Raoultella terrigena
Species of bacteria
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Raoultella terrigena is a Gram-negative bacterial species of the genus Raoultella, previously classified in the genus Klebsiella.[1] It has primarily been isolated from soil and water samples,[2] but rarely from humans. Studies have estimated fewer than 1% of healthy people harbor this species.[3] This species has rarely been shown to cause disease[4] in humans despite expressing many of the virulence factors expressed by other Klebsiella species such as Klebsiella pneumoniae.[5]
| Raoultella terrigena | |
|---|---|
| |
| Raoultella terrigena colonies after a 48-hour culture on sheep blood agar under aerobic conditions. | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Bacteria |
| Kingdom: | Pseudomonadati |
| Phylum: | Pseudomonadota |
| Class: | Gammaproteobacteria |
| Order: | Enterobacterales |
| Family: | Enterobacteriaceae |
| Genus: | Raoultella |
| Species: | R. terrigena |
| Binomial name | |
| Raoultella terrigena (Izard et al. 1981) Drancourt et al. 2001 | |
Phylogenic comparisons between the 16s rRNA and rpoB genes of this and other Klebsiella species have suggested classification into a newer genus, Raoultella,[1] a reclassification that has been adopted.[6]
R. terrigena is considered a factor in melamine toxicity. In culture, R. terrigena was shown to convert melamine to cyanuric acid directly. Rats colonized by R. terrigena showed greater melamine-induced kidney damage compared to those not colonized.[7]