ABSTRACT
I. BACKGROUND Plesiomonas shigelloides, another newcomer among the expanding group of known water-and foodborne pathogens, is increasingly regarded an emerging significant enteric pathogen and is implicated in both intestinal and extraintestinal infections in humans. The genus Plesiomonas, with only the single species Plesiomonas shigelloides, is placed in the family Vibrionaceae. However, plesiomonads are closely related to members of the families Enterobacteriaceae and Pseudomonadaceae.
II. CHARACTERISTICS P. shigelloides (formerly Paracolon C 27, Fergusonia shigelloides, Pseudomonas shigelloides, or Aeromonas shigelloides) was first isolated in 1947 by Ferguson and Henderson. They are a gramnegative, non-spore-and capsule-forming bacilli, which are facultatively anaerobic and oxidase positive. The temperature range for growth of P. shigelloides is 8-44°C, and optimal growth occurs in the 37-38°C range. NaCl tolerance varies from 0 to 5%, and pH tolerance from 4.0 to 9.0. Most strains are susceptible to 0/1299, and most are motile by means of lophotrichous or monotrichous polar flagella (1).
