Providencia stuartii

An emerging multidrug-resistant pathogen with clinical significance

Providencia stuartii is a Gram-negative bacterium that belongs to the Morganellaceae family. It is present in the intestinal microbiota of humans and some animals. P. stuartii has become a relevant pathogen in clinical settings due to its intrinsic resistance to last-resort antibiotics such as colistin and tigecycline, as well as its ability to acquire resistance to carbapenems.

Microbiological Characteristics

Morphology: Gram-negative rod
Motility: Typically motile
Temperature range: 37°C
Colony morphology: Smooth, translucent
Biochemical Characteristics
Urease: Variable
Oxidase: Negative
Lactose: Non-fermenter
Indole: Positive

Clinical Significance

Common Infections
  • Catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI)
  • Wound and burn infections
  • Bloodstream infections (bacteremia)
  • Respiratory infections in immunocompromised patients
Antibiotic resistance type
Resistance type
Antibiotic Class
Specific Drugs
Intrinsic
Polymyxin
Colistin
Tetracyclines
Tigecycline
Aminoglycosides
Gentamicin
β-lactam
Ampicillin and early-generation cephalosporins
Emerging
β-lactam
Carbapenems

Molecular Characteristics

Plasmid Content

The IncA/C2 incompatibility group is the most frequently identified. It is associated with resistance genes including:

  • NDM (New Delhi Metallo-β-lactamase). This is the most frequently detected mechanism of resistance to carbapenems
  • VIM (Verona Integron-encoded Metallo-β-lactamase)
  • IMP (Imipenemase)
  • KPC (Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase)
  • OXA (Oxacilinase)
MLST Scheme

7 housekeeping genes used for typing:

  1. rpoB (RNA polymerase)
  2. tsf (Elongation factor)
  3. sucC (Succinyl-CoA synthetase)
  4. pflB (Formate acetyltransferase)
  5. ftsA (Cell division protein)
  6. dnaA (Replication initiator)
  7. leuS (Leucyl-tRNA synthetase)