How do you identify enterobacter aerogenes?
Enterobacter aerogenes is a Gram negative rod-shaped bacterium in the same family as Esherichia coli. It can grow on many of the same selective media as Esherichia coli, including: MacConkey Agar, EMB agar and Lauryl-Tryptose broth. E. aerogenes ferments lactose, producing acid and gas like Esherichia coli and is classified as an example of coliform bacteria. There are several significant differrences between E. aerogenes and E. coli: 1) Most strains of E.coli are able to grow and produce acid from lactose in a medium such as lauryl tryptose broth or brilliant green bile broth at 44.5 degrees C. while most strains of E. aerogenes do not grow well at that temperature, E. aerogenes grows better at temperatures between 34 – 40 degrees C. 2) E. aerogenes carries out 2,3-butanediol fermentation and thus give a positive test in the Voges-Proskauer test while E. coli is negative. 3) E. coli is positive in the methyl red test while E. aerogenes is usually, but not always, negative (this is not
