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Sources of Proteus Mirabilis

Many organisms have right and wrong environments. For a bacteria called Proteus Mirabilis, the right environment is the human intestinal tract, where it's naturally occurring. Proteus Mirabilis aids the chemical action of digestion. The problem, however, occurs when Proteus Mirabilis leaves the intestinal tract and invades other organs, causing a multitude of infections. Sources where the bacteria are found outside the human tract are well studied, and researchers document their findings.

  1. Natural Source

    • The first source of Proteus Mirabilis is the human intestinal tract. The naturally occurring bacteria live alongside other naturally occurring intestinal bacteria such as E. coli and Klebsiella. Its action in the tract is to help beak down foods so the body can absorb the nutrients. When the human body excretes waste, it's present in feces along with other bacteria.

    Sewage Treatment Plants

    • Sewage treatment plants contains Proteus Mirabilis, as noted by researchers Williams and Stahl in a study for "Applied Environmental Microbiology" magazine published in March 1981. This stands to reason, because human waste ends up in a treatment plant. The problem is if one single bacteria escapes, it may infest local area wildlife. Spreading by colonization is a common attribute of all bacteria. Colonization means bacteria entering a body and spreading rapidly by reproduction.

    Rodent Feces

    • Proteus Mirabilis was found in mice and rat feces. How the bacteria infected the mice is interesting. In a study by researcher F. Wesnick in January 1961 for the "Journal of Pathology and Bacteriology" in Scotland, he discovered the bacteria were inhaled. Before the study, it was presumed the bacteria entered mice bodies through eating of contaminated foods.

    Gull Feces

    • In a study published in 2010 at the University of California at Davis, researchers Scott F. Beckerman and colleagues identified Proteus Mirabilis in gull feces. Beckerman cited a study by the health department of Lake County, Illinois in 2008, in which bacteria were found in feces. This is a region just north of Chicago. Beaches are closed during high bacteria count times.

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