Bacterium
Aeromonas hydrophila
Freshwater rod, wound and gut infection
air-oh-MOH-nas hy-DROF-ih-luh
High-yield clue
Oxidase-positive freshwater rod causing wound infection after freshwater exposure and classically linked to medicinal leech therapy.
Overview
An oxidase-positive Gram-negative rod found in fresh and brackish water, studied as a cause of gastroenteritis and of wound infection after freshwater exposure.
Classification
- Gram-negative
- Rod
- Aeromonadaceae
- Facultative anaerobe
- Oxidase positive
Lab & identification clues
- Oxidase positive (distinguishes from Enterobacterales)
- Beta-hemolytic on blood agar vocabulary
- Freshwater/aquatic origin concept
- Resistant to ampicillin vocabulary
Associations
- Freshwater wound exposure transmission vocabulary
- Watery gastroenteritis presentation vocabulary
- Medicinal leech therapy association
Commonly confused with
- Vibrio vulnificus
- Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Your notes
Original student-study summary. Sources checked: OpenStax Microbiology 2e, NCBI Bookshelf Medical Microbiology, and CDC topic pages where applicable; reviewed 2026-06. Educational only; no diagnosis, treatment, dosing, or specimen-handling guidance.