Enterobacter

Enterobacter is a genus of Gram-negative, facultatively anaerobic bacteria in the enterobacteriaceae family. Key species include enterobacter cloacae (the most clinically relevant) and E. hormaechei. Like other Enterobacteriaceae, Enterobacter possesses iron-dependent siderophores and nickel-dependent NiFe-hydrogenases that provide competitive advantages during dysbiosis.

Key Associations

  • NEC: Part of the Enterobacteriaceae bloom preceding necrotizing enterocolitis in preterm infants; nickel in preterm formula may fuel expansion [1].
  • Formate metabolism: E. cloacae formate-dependent growth drives dysbiotic metabolic shifts in NEC [2].
  • AMR: Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacter (CRE) is a critical AMR threat; metal resistance genes co-locate with carbapenem resistance [3].
  • Graves' disease: E. hormaechei decreased by berberine supplementation alongside clinical improvement [4].
  • CKD: Part of uremic toxin-producing Enterobacteriaceae enrichment.

Cross-References

References (5)

  1. Karen Pendergrass (2026). Nickel as a Catalytic Driver of Necrotizing Enterocolitis: Dietary Nickel, Microbial Metallomics, and the Activation of Nickel-Dependent Virulence Pathways in the Preterm Gut. Zenodo Preprint. doi:10.5281/zenodo.18200348
  2. Giorgio Casaburi, Jingjing Wei, Sufyan Kazi et al. (2022). Casaburi 2022 — Formate as a metabolic driver of NEC: integrated metagenomics and targeted metabolomics. Frontiers in Pediatrics. doi:10.3389/fped.2022.893059
  3. María V. Miranda, Fernanda C. González, Osvaldo S. Paredes-Godoy et al. (2022). Miranda 2022 — Characterization of Metal(loid)s and Antibiotic Resistance in Bacteria of Human Gut Microbiota from CKD Subjects. Biological Research. doi:10.1186/s40659-022-00389-z
  4. Han Z, Cen C, Ou Q et al. (2022). Han et al. 2022 — The Potential Prebiotic Berberine Combined With Methimazole Improved the Therapeutic Effect of Graves' Disease Patients Through Regulating the Intestinal Microbiome. Frontiers in Immunology. doi:10.3389/fimmu.2021.826067
  5. Khan F, Rizvi M, Shukla I et al. (2011). A Novel Approach for Identification of Members of Enterobacteriaceae Isolated from Clinical Samples. Biology and Medicine

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