A new member of the family Enterobacteriaceae--Pragia fontium.

Twenty isolates of the new genus and species Pragia fontium producing H2S were biochemically characterized: they gave positive gluconate oxidation, utilized Simmons citrate and 14 of them hydrolysed esculin. One of them did not produce hydrogen sulfide. Their biochemical activity was low: they did not ferment lactose, adonitol, arabinose, cellobiose, dextrin, dulcitol, erythritol, inulin, maltose, mannitol, mannose, melezitose, melibiose, raffinose, rhamnose, sorbitol, sorbose, starch, sucrose or trehalose. The habitat of Pragia fontium is drinking water, with an exception: the last strain was found in a stool specimen of a healthy woman. The type culture is the first isolate No. 20125-HG 16. It is deposited in Prague (CNCTC) under the designation Eb 11/82.