Aeromonas

Aeromonas [e·rō′mōn·əs]

(microbiology)

A genus of bacteria in the family Vibrionaceae; straight, motile rods with rounded ends; most species are pathogenic to marine and fresh-water animals.

---

Aeromonas

A bacterial genus in the family Vibrionaceae comprising oxidase-positive, facultatively anaerobic, monotrichously flagellated gram-negative rods. The mesophilic species are A. hydrophila, A. caviae, and A. sobria; the psychrophilic one is A. salmonicida. Aeromonads are of aquatic origin and are found in surface and waste water but not in seawater. They infect chiefly cold-blooded animals such as fishes, reptiles, and amphibians and only occasionally warm-blooded animals and humans. Human wound infections may occur following contact with contaminated water. Septicemia has been observed mostly in patients with abnormally low white blood counts or liver disease. There is evidence of intestinal carriers. The three mesophilic species are also associated with diarrheal disease (enteritis and colitis) worldwide. See Diarrhea

A related lophotrichous genus, Plesiomonas (single species, P. shigelloides), is also known as an aquatic bacterium and is associated with diarrhea chiefly in subtropical and tropical areas. It is also found in many warm-blooded animals. Systemic disease in humans is rare. See Medical bacteriology