spheroidal Firmicutes bacterium of a group (genus Streptococcus) that includes bacteria necessary to produce Swiss cheese, causing souring of milk and dental decay, and hemolytic pathogens causing various infections such as strep throat, pink eye, "flesh eating" infections, scarlet fever and pneumonia. The term streptococcus (“twisted berry”) refers to the bacteria’s characteristic grouping in chains that resemble a string of beads. Streptococci are microbiologically characterized as gram-positive and nonmotile. Currently, there are over 50 species in this genus (a few have been reclassified as Enterococcus and Lactococcus).
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