Biology & Ecology
Biology
Gram Statusgram-negative
Oxygen Tolerancefacultative anaerobe
Morphologybacillus (rod)
Key Traits
- lactose fermenter
- member of Enterobacter cloacae complex
- motile (peritrichous flagella)
Ecology
Primary Nichesenvironment, gut, oral cavity
Reservoirenvironment, human
Transmission
- healthcare-associated
- oral-gut
Clinical Profile
Pathobiont
yes
no
context dependent
unknown
Clinical Rolescoloniser; opportunistic pathogen
Typical Specimenbiopsy; stool
Bloom Triggers
dysbiosis ·
periodontitis
Risk Contextsinflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
Clinical Associations:
E1
E3 — Strong human clinical evidence
E2 — Moderate human evidence
E1 — Limited / preliminary
Enterobacter cloacae (strain SK156) is a component of the synthetic ligature-associated oral microbiome (sLOM, comprising K. aerogenes, K. pneumoniae, K. variicola, E. cloacae, and E. hormaechei) that, upon ectopic gut colonization, drives colitis in germ-free Il10−/− and Rag1−/− mouse models (significantly elevated fecal Lcn2, increased colonic Th17/Th1 cells, and worsened histological scores vs. sHOM controls; p<0.05 to p<0.001).
PMID:
32758418
D003092
Colitis
D004754
Enterobacter
D000069196
Gastrointestinal Microbiome
D010518
Periodontitis
H01227
Inflammatory bowel disease
Last reviewed: 2026-04-02
Related Taxa
Shared Niche = same body site
Shared Risk = same vulnerable population
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