Gram Positive Cocci Flashcards, test questions and answers

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What is Gram Positive Cocci?

Gram Positive Cocci are a type of bacteria that are spherical in shape and typically found in pairs or chains. They are the most common bacteria on earth, living in soil, water, and even inside the human body. They have been studied extensively for their role in causing disease and producing antibiotics.Gram Positive Cocci vary greatly in size, ranging from 0.5 to 5 μm wide. These cells have thick cell walls containing a large amount of peptidoglycan, which is responsible for the Gram-positive stain reaction when observed under a microscope. This thick cell wall provides protection against dehydration as well as other environmental stresses such as heat and acidity. Additionally, some Gram-positive cocci possess pili that allow them to adhere to surfaces or host cells for further colonization and infection. These organisms can cause various infections including endocarditis (inflammation of the heart valves), meningitis (infection of the brain and spinal cord), urinary tract infections (UTIs), food poisoning, skin infections like cellulitis (a bacterial infection deep within skin tissue), sepsis (a serious bloodstream infection) and pneumonia (lung infection). In addition to causing disease, Gram positive cocci have also been used to produce antibiotics such as penicillin, erythromycin, vancomycin and gentamicin due to their ability to synthesize different molecules. The major classification groups among gram-positive cocci include streptococcus species which are closely related; they typically appear together under microscopic examination structures such Staphylococcus species which tend to appear more isolated than streptococcus; Enterococcus species which can be tolerant under extreme conditions; Lactobacillus species that form lactic acid; Propionibacterium species involved in dairy production; Clostridium species capable of forming endospores; Bacillus species with large non-motile cells; Microbacterium capable of degrading organic pollutants; Corynebacterium associated with animal diseases such as diphtheria; Erysipelothrix linked with fish farming activities and Arthrobacter linked with soil contamination.