Bacterium
Proteus mirabilis
Urease-positive swarming rod
PROH-tee-us mir-AB-ih-lis
High-yield clue
Urease positive + swarming vocabulary is the Proteus study hook.
Overview
A Gram-negative rod used in coursework to connect urease positivity, swarming vocabulary, and enteric organism comparison.
Classification
- Gram-negative
- Rod
- Enterobacterales
Lab & identification clues
- Urease positive
- Swarming motility vocabulary
- Non-lactose fermenter teaching contrast
Associations
- Urinary tract coursework association
- Stone-formation vocabulary
- Enteric comparison drills
Commonly confused with
- Klebsiella pneumoniae
- Escherichia coli
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.