This short, straight rod occurs singly, in pairs, and in short chains. It is nonmotile. Gram reaction is negative. Gas is produced from sugars; hydrogen sulfide is not produced. It is an opportunistic pathogen found in feces of man and animals without any symptoms of disease, and from blood. Typical infections from which this microbe would be recovered include colitis and sepsis. It is more likely to cause problems where the population is aging or immunocompromised, and so its importance as a pathogen in nursing homes and hospitals is greater than among the general public. Complicating chronic conditions and introduction of catheters, feeding tubes, and other invasions of the body’s barriers enable spread of the organism to unwanted spaces. Growth is at 35-37 C.