Sunday, December 31, 2006

Streptococcus pneumoniae


Hello, I'm S. pneumoniae.
I'm a Gram Positive coccus.
Sometimes I'm known as the 'pneumococcus'.
I'm found in some people's airways.

I have a capsule coating that means I can be grouped into 80 'serotypes'.

I am the most common cause of pneumonia in healthy people, although I also get into smokers and the elderly.
I'm also cause lots of bacterial meningitis.

Tuesday, December 19, 2006

Streptococcus mutans


Hello there.
I'm S. mutans.
I'm Gram Positive coccus.
Like my cousin S. sanguis, I'm an A haemolytic (Viridian) strep.

I am one of the most common causes of cavities.
I stick to the teeth using a sticky film the makes up dental plaque.
I make acid and eat away at your teeth.

Saturday, December 16, 2006

Streptococcus sanguis



Hi, I'm S. sanguis.
I am a Gram Positive coccus, but I am not a B haemolytic strep.
I am an A haemolytic strep, which means that when I'm grown on a blood agar plate, I end up green.
I am also known as a Viridian strep because of the green colour I make.

I am often found in the mouth.
I am a common cause of endocarditis, heart valve infection.
I can also cause mouth abscesses.


Friday, December 15, 2006

Streptococcus canis


Hello there.
You can call me S. canis.
I'm a Gram positive coccus and a B haemolytic strep.
I am part of the G Lancefield group.

I'm mostly a dog bacteria and not very common at all in humans.
You can mostly get me from dog bites or open wounds.
Very occasionally I can cause pharyngitis and tonsillitis.


Wednesday, December 13, 2006

Streptococcus anginosus


Hello, my name is S. anginosus.
I'm a Gram Positive coccus.
I'm often known to be in the Lancefield F group.
The names of my group members change depending where you live.
For example, we are called different things of the UK and USA!

I cause deep tissue abscesses with pus.
I can infect your blood, heart valves (endocarditis) and your bones (osteomyelitis).