Plesiomonas shigelloides

Overview

• Gram negative bacteria
• Found in aquatic environments
• Opportunistic pathogens of fish, reptiles and rarely mammals

Characteristics

• Straight rods
• Catalase and oxidase positive
• Facultative anaerobes
• Motile
• Grow on non-enriched media; NaCl supplementation required for Vibrio species
• Found in freash water and oral cavity and skin of fish and reptiles

• Tropical and subtropical regions
• Septicaemia in fish, reptiles
• Diarrhoea in harbour seals
• Diarrhoea and neonatal meningitis in humans

Diagnosis

• Isolation and identification from lesions
• Widespread in environments

Treatment

• Antibiotics including Cephalosporins against Aeromonas and P. shigelloides and Gentamicin against Vibrio species