Streptococci

The Streptococcaceae family includes bacteria of the genus Streptococcus. These bacteria exhibit a spherical or ovoid shape, measuring 0.6-1.0 µm in diameter. They are nonmotile, non-spore forming, gram-positive facultative anaerobes, typically arranged in chains. You can find them reproducing in the human and animal body, particularly in the intestines, oral cavity, and tissues, as well as in feces, milk, and its products. Streptococci multiply by dividing in one plane. Some species, like S. lactis, are known for causing lactic acid fermentation. Pathogenic species, such as S. pyogenes, S. agalactiae, and S. zooepidemicus, produce toxins that lead to various diseases in humans and animals, including abscesses, sepsis, erysipelas, scarlet fever, streptoderma, pharyngitis, acute glomerulonephritis, rheumatic fever, pneumonia, and avian streptococcosis. Infection with these bacteria can also trigger toxic shock syndrome.

Source | Glossary of Most Commonly Used Biomedical Terms and Concepts | Lithuanian University of Health Sciences | Academician Professor Antanas Praškevičius, Professor Laima Ivanovienė