ABSTRACT
Microbiology Enterobacteriaceae (also known as enterobacteria or coliforms) include numerous genera and species with several properties in common. They are Gram-negative bacilli, tolerate bile salts, grow under aerobic or anaerobic conditions, ferment glucose and produce catalase but not oxidase enzymes. Escherichia coli is the most common, and best known, species of this family. Other medically important enterobacterial genera include Citrobacter, Enterobacter, Hafnia, Klebsiella, Morganella, Proteus, Providencia, Salmonella, Serratia, Shigella and Yersinia.
