Bacterium
proteus Audio
pro·te·us [ proh-tee-uh s, -tyoos ]
Subclass of:
Enterobacteriaceae
Etymology:
Greek Proteus, a god of the sea who could change his form at will
Named because of the pleomorphism shown by the extremely young cultures.
Definitions related to proteus:
  • A genus of gram-negative, facultatively anaerobic, rod-shaped bacteria that occurs in the intestines of humans and a wide variety of animals, as well as in manure, soil, and polluted waters. Its species are pathogenic, causing urinary tract infections and are also considered secondary invaders, causing septic lesions at other sites of the body.
    NLM Medical Subject Headings
    U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2025
  • A genus of Gram-negative, oxidase-negative, but catalase- and nitrase-positive bacteria in the phylum Proteobacteria.
    NCI
    U.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
  • Any bacteria that is not assigned to the species level but can be assigned to the Proteus genus level.
    CDISC Terminology
    Clinical Data Interchange Standards Consortium (CDISC), 2021
  • Genus of gram negative, facultatively anaerobic, rod shaped bacteria that occurs in the intestines of humans and a wide variety of animals, as well as in manure, soil, and polluted waters; its species are pathogenic, causing urinary tract infections and are also considered secondary invaders, causing septic lesions at other sites of the body.
    CRISP Thesaurus
    National Institutes of Health, 2006
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