Hemolysis is the breakdown of red blood cells. The ability of bacterial colonies to induce hemolysis when grown on blood agar is used to classify certain microorganisms. This is particularly useful in classifying streptococcal species. A substance that causes hemolysis is called a hemolysin.
When alpha-hemolysis (α-hemolysis) is present, the agar under the colony is light and greenish. Streptococcus pneumoniae and a group of oral streptococci (Streptococcus viridans or viridans streptococci) display alpha-hemolysis. This is sometimes called green hemolysis because of the color change in the agar. Other synonymous terms are incomplete hemolysis and partial hemolysis. Alpha-hemolysis is caused by the bacteria's production of hydrogen peroxide, which oxidizes hemoglobin and produces the green oxidized derivative methemoglobin.
Beta-hemolysis (β-hemolysis), sometimes called complete hemolysis, is a complete lysis of red cells in the media around and under the colonies: the area appears lightened (yellow) and transparent. [1] Streptolysin, an exotoxin, is the enzyme produced by the bacteria which causes the complete lysis of red blood cells. There are two types of streptolysin: streptolysin O (SLO) and streptolysin S (SLS). Streptolysin O is an oxygen-sensitive cytotoxin secreted by most Group A streptococcus (GAS) and Streptococcus dysgalactiae ; it interacts with cholesterol in the membrane of eukaryotic cells (mainly red and white blood cells, macrophages, and platelets), usually resulting in β-hemolysis under the surface of blood agar. Streptolysin S is an oxygen-stable cytotoxin also produced by most GAS strains which results in clearing on the surface of blood agar. SLS affects immune cells, including polymorphonuclear leukocytes and lymphocytes, and is thought to prevent the host immune system from clearing infection. Streptococcus pyogenes , or Group A beta-hemolytic Strep (GAS), as well as Streptococcus agalactiae display beta-hemolysis.
The hemolysis of some weakly beta-hemolytic organisms is enhanced when streaked close to certain beta hemolytic strains of Staphylococcus aureus . This phenomenon is the mechanism behind the CAMP test , [2] a test that was historically used for the identification of Streptococcus agalactiae and Listeria monocytogenes . [3] A modified version of this test called the reverse CAMP test, utilizing S. agalactiae instead of S. aureus, can also be used to identify Clostridium perfringens .
If an organism does not induce hemolysis, the agar under and around the colony is unchanged and the organism is called non-hemolytic or said to display gamma-hemolysis (γ-hemolysis). Enterococcus faecalis (formerly called "Group D Strep"), Staphylococcus saprophyticus , and Staphylococcus epidermidis display gamma-hemolysis.
When some otherwise non-hemolytic bacteria, such as strains of the cholera-causing bacteria Vibrio cholerae , are plated on blood agar, no clearings are observed surrounding isolated colonies, but the blood surrounding larger areas of growth turns green. This process, called hemodigestion, is caused by the metabolic by-products of the bacteria in aerobic conditions. [4]
Streptococcus is a genus of gram-positive or spherical bacteria that belongs to the family Streptococcaceae, within the order Lactobacillales, in the phylum Bacillota. Cell division in streptococci occurs along a single axis, thus when growing they tend to form pairs or chains, which may appear bent or twisted. This differs from staphylococci, which divide along multiple axes, thereby generating irregular, grape-like clusters of cells. Most streptococci are oxidase-negative and catalase-negative, and many are facultative anaerobes.
An agar plate is a Petri dish that contains a growth medium solidified with agar, used to culture microorganisms. Sometimes selective compounds are added to influence growth, such as antibiotics.
The viridans streptococci are a large group of commensal streptococcal Gram-positive bacteria species that are α-hemolytic, producing a green coloration on blood agar plates, although some species in this group are actually γ-hemolytic, meaning they produce no change on blood agar. The pseudo-taxonomic term "Streptococcus viridans" is often used to refer to this group of species, but writers who do not like to use the pseudotaxonomic term prefer the terms viridans streptococci, viridans group streptococci (VGS), or viridans streptococcal species.
Optochin is a derivative of quinine introduced in 1911 by Morgenroth and Levy with the intention to treat pneumococci infection. In very high dilutions, it inhibits the growth of representatives of all four groups of pneumococci in vitro. That is the main reason it is now used in bacteriology for the differentiation of Streptococcus pneumoniae, which is optochin-sensitive, from the other, resistant alpha-hemolytic streptococci, sometimes called the viridans streptococci because of the green colouration on blood agar around colonies.
Hemolysins or haemolysins are lipids and proteins that cause lysis of red blood cells by disrupting the cell membrane. Although the lytic activity of some microbe-derived hemolysins on red blood cells may be of great importance for nutrient acquisition, many hemolysins produced by pathogens do not cause significant destruction of red blood cells during infection. However, hemolysins are often capable of lysing red blood cells in vitro.
Anti-streptolysin O is the antibody made against streptolysin O, an immunogenic, oxygen-labile streptococcal hemolytic exotoxin produced by most strains of group A and many strains of groups C and G Streptococcus bacteria. The "O" in the name stands for oxygen-labile; the other related toxin being oxygen-stable streptolysin-S. The main function of streptolysin O is to cause hemolysis —in particular, beta-hemolysis.
Streptolysins are two homogenous exotoxins from Streptococcus pyogenes. Types include streptolysin O, which is oxygen-labile, and streptolysin S, which is oxygen-stable.
The CAMP test (Christie–Atkins–Munch-Petersen) is a test to identify group B β-hemolytic streptococci based on their formation of a substance, CAMP factor, that enlarges the area of hemolysis formed by the β-hemolysin elaborated from Staphylococcus aureus.
Streptococcus dysgalactiae is a gram positive, beta-haemolytic, coccal bacterium belonging to the family Streptococcaceae. It is capable of infecting both humans and animals, but is most frequently encountered as a commensal of the alimentary tract, genital tract, or less commonly, as a part of the skin flora. The clinical manifestations in human disease range from superficial skin-infections and tonsillitis, to severe necrotising fasciitis and bacteraemia. The incidence of invasive disease has been reported to be rising. Several different animal species are susceptible to infection by S. dysgalactiae, but bovine mastitis and infectious arthritis in lambs have been most frequently reported.
Streptococcus iniae is a species of Gram-positive, sphere-shaped bacterium belonging to the genus Streptococcus. Since its isolation from an Amazon freshwater dolphin in the 1970s, S. iniae has emerged as a leading fish pathogen in aquaculture operations worldwide, resulting in over US$100M in annual losses. Since its discovery, S. iniae infections have been reported in at least 27 species of cultured or wild fish from around the world. Freshwater and saltwater fish including tilapia, red drum, hybrid striped bass, and rainbow trout are among those susceptible to infection by S. iniae. Infections in fish manifest as meningoencephalitis, skin lesions, and septicemia.
Perianal cellulitis, also known as perianitis or perianal streptococcal dermatitis, is a bacterial infection affecting the lower layers of the skin (cellulitis) around the anus. It presents as bright redness in the skin and can be accompanied by pain, difficulty defecating, itching, and bleeding. This disease is considered a complicated skin and soft tissue infection (cSSTI) because of the involvement of the deeper soft tissues.
Bacteriophage T12 is a bacteriophage that infects Streptococcus pyogenes bacteria. It is a proposed species of the family Siphoviridae in the order Caudovirales also known as tailed viruses. It converts a harmless strain of bacteria into a virulent strain. It carries the speA gene which codes for erythrogenic toxin A. speA is also known as streptococcal pyogenic exotoxin A, scarlet fever toxin A, or even scarlatinal toxin. Note that the name of the gene "speA" is italicized; the name of the toxin "speA" is not italicized. Erythrogenic toxin A converts a harmless, non-virulent strain of Streptococcus pyogenes to a virulent strain through lysogeny, a life cycle which is characterized by the ability of the genome to become a part of the host cell and be stably maintained there for generations. Phages with a lysogenic life cycle are also called temperate phages. Bacteriophage T12, proposed member of family Siphoviridae including related speA-carrying bacteriophages, is also a prototypic phage for all the speA-carrying phages of Streptococcus pyogenes, meaning that its genome is the prototype for the genomes of all such phages of S. pyogenes. It is the main suspect as the cause of scarlet fever, an infectious disease that affects small children.
A double-disk diffusion test is a kind of disk diffusion test
Lancefield grouping is a system of classification that classifies catalase-negative Gram-positive cocci based on the carbohydrate composition of bacterial antigens found on their cell walls. The system, created by Rebecca Lancefield, was historically used to organize the various members of the family Streptococcaceae, which includes the genera Lactococcus and Streptococcus, but now is largely superfluous due to explosive growth in the number of streptococcal species identified since the 1970s. However, it has retained some clinical usefulness even after the taxonomic changes, and as of 2018, Lancefield designations are still often used to communicate medical microbiological test results.
Granada medium is a selective and differential culture medium designed to selectively isolate Streptococcus agalactiae and differentiate it from other microorganisms. Granada Medium was developed by Manuel Rosa-Fraile et al. at the Service of Microbiology in the Hospital Virgen de las Nieves in Granada (Spain).
Diagnostic microbiology is the study of microbial identification. Since the discovery of the germ theory of disease, scientists have been finding ways to harvest specific organisms. Using methods such as differential media or genome sequencing, physicians and scientists can observe novel functions in organisms for more effective and accurate diagnosis of organisms. Methods used in diagnostic microbiology are often used to take advantage of a particular difference in organisms and attain information about what species it can be identified as, which is often through a reference of previous studies. New studies provide information that others can reference so that scientists can attain a basic understanding of the organism they are examining.
In microbiology, colonial morphology refers to the visual appearance of bacterial or fungal colonies on an agar plate. Examining colonial morphology is the first step in the identification of an unknown microbe. The systematic assessment of the colonies' appearance, focusing on aspects like size, shape, colour, opacity, and consistency, provides clues to the identity of the organism, allowing microbiologists to select appropriate tests to provide a definitive identification.
Columbia Nalidixic Acid (CNA) agar is a growth medium used for the isolation and cultivation of bacteria from clinical and non-clinical specimens. CNA agar contains antibiotics that inhibit Gram-negative organisms, aiding in the selective isolation of Gram-positive bacteria. Gram-positive organisms that grow on the media can be differentiated on the basis of hemolysis.
Streptococcosis is an infectious disease caused by bacteria of the genus Steptococcus. This disease is most common among horses, guinea pigs, dogs, cats, and fish with symptoms varying based on the streptococcal species involved. In humans, this disease typically involves a throat infection and is called streptococcal pharyngitis or strep throat.