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Glite Dictionary
enterobacteria

enterobacteria

7.8
Bacteria with a long thin shape that live in the gut of people and animals, some cause infections
  • noun
  • /ˌɛntəroʊbækˈtɪəriə/
  • Specialized
translation icon : enterobacterias
  • Enterobacteria can be found in the intestines of both humans and animals.

Examples

  • Researchers studied the effects of antibiotics on various enterobacteria in laboratory tests.

  • Species such as Enterobacteria, Serratia, Nitrobacter, Pseudomonads, Bacillus, Staphylococcus, and various Actinomycetes are all present.

    Academic text (1996)

  • GRAPH: Fig 2 - Isolation of pathogenic enterobacteria in the stool specimens from 473 subjects with or without diarrhoea.

    Academic text (1992)

  • Some enterobacteria are harmless, while others can cause serious infections.

Synonyms

Enterobacteriaceae
vsenterobacteria
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A family of bacteria like E. coli or Salmonella that often live in the intestines and cause infections

focuses specifically on intestinal occurrence rather than the whole bacterial family
enteric bacteria
vsenterobacteria
  • Specialized
5.9

Small germs that live in the intestines and often help digestion or sometimes cause infections

is the same meaning but presented here as the main entry
enterics
vsenterobacteria
  • Specialized
9.4

Bacteria shaped like rods that live in the gut and sometimes cause illness

is similar but presented here as the general singular concept
family Enterobacteriaceae
vsenterobacteria
  • Specialized
8.5

A large group of bacteria like E. coli and Salmonella that can cause infections

is limited to intestinal occurrence rather than the broader taxonomic family

Surface Forms

enterobacteria singular
enterobacteria plural
enterobacterium singular

Morphology

enterobacteria = bacteria (semi-transparent) = entero + bacteria

The meaning 'intestinal bacteria' can be derived from 'bacteria' plus the combining form 'entero-', but 'entero-' is a technical combining form that many B1 learners may not know.

Etymology

Enterobacteria comes from the parts entero- meaning 'intestine' and bacteria from Greek bakterion meaning 'small rod'. So, enterobacteria are the rod-shaped bacteria that live in the gut.