Scientific Name: Streptococcus pneumoniae
Not-So-Fun Fact: Streptococcus bacteria cause the disease of the respiratory system known as strep. The disease is very common among young children and the elderly, and may lead to malaise and even mental disorientation.
Domain:
Prokaryota
Kingdom:
Bacteria
Phylum: Firmicutes
Class: Bacilli
Order:
Lactobacillales
Family:
Streptococciae
Genus: Streptococcus
Species: S.
pneumoniae
Environment:
Streptococcus is a bacterium which infects the upper respiratory system most
commonly and occasionally the brain and nervous system.
Description:
The Streptococcus bacterium itself is lancet-shaped and possesses a thick,
gram-positive cell wall. Symptoms of infection include aching in the part of
the body affected, fever, coughing, confusion, and photosensitivity. Severe
infections, especially ones that spread to the brain, can lead to permanent
hearing loss, brain damage, and death; These are much less common in patients
with access to medical treatment, who typically only experience the
uncomfortable if considerably less harmful symptoms previously mentioned.
Reproduction
& Development: Streptococci do not form spores and cannot move on their
own. They usually reproduce by asexual mitosis, and whole populations can
double in twenty to thirty minutes in favorable conditions (such as in a
laboratory culture). At a certain point, when grouped in cultures that grow to
an unstable level, the streptococci undergo a curious process in which the
entire colony goes through autolysis using one of its own indigenous enzymes,
called “autolysin.”
Nutrition:
Streptococcus is a parasitic organism which feeds off its host and absorbs
nutrients through its cell pores and cell membrane. It is usually found
infecting liquid flows of nutrients, such as ones found in the lungs, spinal
fluid, or blood.
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