Streptococcus

Kingdom Bacteria
Phylum Firmicutes
Class Bacilli
Order Lactobacillales
Family Streptococcaceae/Micrococcaceae
Genus Streptococcus

History

1. Firstly Theodor Billorth in 1874 described the organism in case of

erysipelas.
2. Friedrich Julius Rosenbach in 1884 gave name streptococcus pyogenes to
the bacteria isolated from suppurative lesions.
3. Rivolta described chain forming organism in pus from a case of strangles
in horses.

General Properties

1. Streptococci are Gram positive,spherical or ovoid cells.

2. They are facultative anaerobes,catalase negative,oxidase negative,non
spore forming and non motile except of some enterococci.
3. Peptostreptococcus is an obligate anaerobic organism.
4. Streptococci are fastidious and require the addition of blood and serum to
media for growth.

Habitat

1. They are commensals in mucosa of the upper respiratory and lower

urinary tract of animals.

Classification

Based on growth charactersticks,type of haemolysis and biochemical activities

they can be divided into 6 categories as follows:-

1.Pyogeneic streptococci-S.pyogenes, S.equi etc.

2.Oral streptococci-S.salivarius

3.Enterococci-E.faecalis,E.gallinarium etc.
 4.Lactic acid streptococci-S.lactis

5.Anaerobic streptococci-Peptostreptococcus indolicus

6.Other streptococci-S.bovis,S.uberis etc.

Based on Haemolysis Pattern:-Brown (1919)give this classification.

1. Alpha haemolytic streptococci-

a) They produce a greenish discolouration with partial haemolysis,so
these are known as ‘viridians streptococci’.
b) Alpha haemolysis show greenish colouration due to hydrogen
peroxide released from the colonies and inducing oxidation of
haemoglobin into methemoglobin.
c) Examples:-S.pneumoniae,S.viridans etc
2. Beta haemolytic streptococci:-
a) These produce a sharp clear colourless zone of hemolysis.
b) Examples:-S.pyogenes,S.agalactiae etc
3. Gamma or nonhemolytic streptococci:-
a) No hemolysis,produce no change in the medium.
b) Example:-E.faecalis

Based on nature of carbohydrate antigen:-

Rebecca Lancefield (1933) classify beta haemolytic streptococci in different

groups on the basis of nature of carbohydrate antigen present on their cell wall.

These are named by capital letters A-V (except I and J).

Species Lancefield Host Consequences of infection

group
S.agalactiae B Cattle,sheep,goat Chronic mastitis
Human,dog Neonatal septicaemia
S.dysagalactiae C Cattle Acute mastitis
lambs Polyarthritis
S.equi subspecies C Horses Strangles,purpura haemorrhagica
equi
S.suis D Pig Meningitis,arthritis,bronchopneumonia
Humans Septicaemia,meningitis
S.canis G carnivores Suppurative condition,toxic shock
syndrome
Cultural and biochemical characteristics:-

1. These are catalase and oxidase negative.

2. They can not reduce nitrates and are indole negative.
3. Edward medium is selective media for their growth in this media they
produces dewdrop like black colonies.
4. Aesculin hydrolysis –S.uberis and E.faecalis are positive but S.agalactiae
and S.dysagalactiae are negative.
5. Ability to grow in 0.1%telluritebroth is feature of S.faecalis.
6. These does not grow on mac conkey agar except Enterococcus faecalis.
7. CAMP Test :-CAMP test was discovered by Christie,Atkins and Munch-
Peterson in 1944.This test detects a diffusible,heat stable extracellular
protein produced by Group B streptococcus that enhances the hemolysis
of blood by Staphylococcus aureus.The CAMP factor acts synergistically
with the beta haemolysin produced by S.aureus to induce enhanced
haemolysis of blood.
8. Reverse CAMP test used for differentiation of Clostridium perfringens
from other clostridium species.

Virulence factors :-

1. Toxins:-Haemolysins are produced by streptococci are streptolysin O and

S.
a) Streptolysin o –it is oxygen and heat liable in nature.
b) Streptolysin s –it is oxygen stable and responsible for beta
haemolysis.
2. Enzymes
a) Streptokinase (fibrinolysin)
b) Deoxyribonucleases (streptodornase)
c) Hyaluronidase
d) Proteinase
e) Neuraminidase

Diagnosis

1. Bacitracin susceptibility test

2. Optochin susceptibility test

Submitted to:- Department of veterinary microbiology and biotechnology

Submitted by:- Sushil Sharma and Tejpal