Dr.

Abbas Fadhil Hato Second stage (Bacteria)

General Features for genus Streptococcus

1. non-spore-forming
2. non-motile (except for an occasional flagellated strain)
3. The general shape of the cells is spherical, but they can also appear ovoid
or rod like especially in actively dividing young cultures, also produce chain
in different long.
4. They can form capsules and slime layers.
5. They are facultative anaerobes that ferment a variety of sugars, usually
with the production of lactic acid.
6. Streptococci do not form catalase (-), but they do have a peroxidase system
for inactivating hydrogen peroxide, which allows their survival even in the
presence of oxygen.
7. Most parasitic forms are fastidious in nutrition and require enriched media
for cultivation.
8. Colonies are usually small, non-pigmented, and glistening. Most members
of the genus are quite sensitive to drying, heat, and disinfectants.
9. Despite the large number of streptococcal species, human disease is most
often associated with [Link], S. agalactiae, viridans streptococci, S.
pneumoniae, and Enterococcus faecalis .
*Classification of Streptococci can be classified by several schemes
1. Hemolytic properties of the organisms.
2. According to the presence of specific surface antigens determined by
immunological assays.
A-Hemolytic properties on blood agar
1. β-Hemolytic Streptococci: Cause lysis of red blood cells resulting in a clear
ring around the colony for example Streptococcus pyogenes.
2. α-Hemolytic Streptococci: Cause chemical changes in the hemoglobin of
RBCs in blood agar resulting in the appearance of green color that forms a
ring around the colony for ex. Streptococcus pneumonia.
3. γ-Hemolytic Streptococci: Is a term applied to Streptococci that no cause
color changes or lysis of RBCs. Streptococcus mutans and Streptococcus
bovis.
Dr. Abbas Fadhil Hato Second stage (Bacteria)

B-Serologic (Lancefield) groupings: Streptococci display numerous surface

antigens. C-carbohydrates, specialized polysaccharides or teichoic acids found
on the surface of the cell wall, are the basis for Lancefield groups.
1. Their apparent contribution to pathogenesis is to protect the bacterium from
being dissolved by the lysozyme defense of the host.
2. Lipoteichoic acid accounts for the adherence of S. pyogenes to epithelial
cells in the skin or pharynx.
3. The Lancefield scheme classified primarily β-hemolytic Streptococci in to
groups A to U based on their C- substance.
4. The clinically most important groups of β-hemolytic Streptococci type A and
B.
Another type-specific molecule is the M-protein, of which about 80 different
subtypes exist. This substance is the main component of fimbriae, the spiky surface
projections that contribute to virulence by resisting phagocytosis and improving
adherence.
A Capsule is formed by most S. pyogenes strains, but it remains attached to the cell
surface only during the rapid growth phase of a culture and is probably not as
important to virulence as are other factors.
* General features of S. pyogenes
1. β-hemolytic
2. Gram positive cocci
3. non motile, non-spore forming, capsule during the rapid growth phase
4. grow in different selective media such as blood agar
5. produce different enzymes and toxins:
haemolysin lysis RBCs
streptolysin O and streptolysin S lysis RBCs
streptokinase lysis fibrin
hyaluronidase lysis hyaluronic acid
DNAase lysis DNA
leucocidine lysis WBCs
Dr. Abbas Fadhil Hato Second stage (Bacteria)

*Diseases caused by S. pyogenes*

*Respiratory diseases*
1-tonsillitis 2-throat infection 3-pharyngitis
*Another diseases*
1-Scarlet fever 2- Impetigo 3-Rheumatic fever 4-Vaginitis 5-Meningitis
6-Burn and Wound infections 7- Puerperal fever 8-Otitis media

Genus Enterococcus, including Enterococcus faecalis, E. faecium, and E. durans

are called the enterococci because they are normal colonists of the human large
intestine.
The group D species Enterococcus faecalis causes opportunistic infections of
wounds, blood, endocardium, and the urinary and gastrointestinal tracts.
Virulence factors associated with enterococci continue to be a topic of increasing
research interest because of an increasing likelihood to cause health care–associated
infections, especially E. faecium. Some of the virulence factors identified in
Enterococcus species include, aggregation substance, capsular polysaccharides,
surface carbohydrates, ability to translocate across intact intestinal mucosa,
hemolysin, lipoteichoic acid, gelatinase, superoxide production, peptide
inhibitors, and ability to adhere to extracellular matrix proteins.
Compared with other clinically important gram-positive cocci, Enterococcus
(especially E. faecium and E. faecalis) is intrinsically more resistant to the
antimicrobial agents commonly used in acute and long-term health care settings.
This genus is the first clinically relevant group of gram-positive cocci to acquire and
disseminate resistance to vancomycin, thus the name vancomycin-resistant
Enterococcus (VRE), which was discovered in the late 1980s. Vancomycin is an
antibiotic used to treat infections caused by gram-positive bacteria.
Dr. Abbas Fadhil Hato Second stage (Bacteria)

LABORATORY IDENTIFICATION TECHNIQUES for Streptococcus

1. Clinical Sample Different samples reach to lab. Such as swabs from tonsil,
wound, burn with different other samples.
2. Direct Exam stained by Gram stain
3. Cultured on blood agar (for see type of hemolytic)
4. identification by biochemical or API Strep or another serological test
5. CAMP factor test: detection the production of diffusible thermostable,
extracellular protein produced by group B Streptococci S. agalactiae 6-
sensitivity test in Mueller-Hinton agar