The definitions used in this glossary of terminology either have been provided by the authors of the articles, or have been extracted wholly or in part, or paraphrased from the following sources: The American Medical Association Encyclopedia of Medicine, Charles B. Clayman, MD, Medical Editor, Random House, New York, 1989; Biotechnology from A to Z, 2d Edition, William Bains, Oxford University Press, New York, New York, 2002; A Dictionary of Genetics, 6th Edition, Robert C. King and William D. Stansfield, Oxford University Press, New York, New York, 2002; Dorland's Illustrated Medical Dictionary, 29th and 30th Editions, W. B. Saunders Company, Philadelphia, 2000, 2003; Genes VII, Benjamin Lewin, Oxford University Press, New York, New York, 2000; The Gale Encyclopedia of Genetic Disorders, Volumes I and II, Stacey L. Blachford, Ed., Thomson Learning, New York, New York, 2002; The Merriam-Webster Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, Inc., Springfield, Massachusetts, 1997; Molecular Biology of the Cell, 3rd Edition, Bruce Alberts, et al., Garland Publishing, 1994; The Random House Dictionary of the English Language, Unabridged Edition, 1966; Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary, 1991.

DEFINITION:

streptococcus and Streptococcus

As streptococcus - An organism of the genus Streptococcus .

As Streptococcus - A genus of gram-positive, facultatively anaerobic cocci occurring in pairs or chains, assigned to the family Streptococcaceae . Streptococci are cytochrome-, oxidase-, and catalase-negative organisms that are nonmotile, nonsporeforming, and homofermentative. The genus consists of four groups: the pyogenic group, the viridans group, the enterococcus group, and the lactic group. The first group includes the ß -hemolytic human and animal pathogens, the second includes a-hemolytic, potentially pathogenic organisms occurring as normal flora in the human upper respiratory tract, the third group includes organisms with variable hemolysis that are normal flora of the intestinal tract, and the fourth group includes saprophytic forms associated with the souring of milk. Streptococci are classified according to patterns of hemolysis on blood agar, antigenic composition, and physiologic and biochemical characteristics.