Yersinia

Pronunciation: yer-sin′ē-ă

Definition: A genus of motile and nonmotile, non-spore-forming bacteria (family Enterobacteriaceae) containing gram-negative, unencapsulated, ovoid to rod-shaped cells; Yersinia are nonmotile at 37°C, but some species are motile at temperatures below 30°C; motile cells are peritrichous; citrate is not used as a sole source of carbon; these organisms are parasitic on humans and other animals; the type species is Yersinia pestis.

[A. J. E. Yersin, Swiss bacteriologist, 1862–1943]

Search Stedman's Medical Dictionary