Streptococcus pyogenes
The disease strep throat is one of the most common diseases for both children and teenagers. Some of the side affects of this disease include having a sore throat, swollen tonsils, and pain when swallowing . The pathogenic bacteria Streptococcus pyogenes causes this disease. Streptococcus pyogenes is in the phylum Firmicutes, the class Bacilli, the order Lactobacillales and the family Streptococcaeceae (Brenner, 2005). Streptococcus pyogenes natural habitat is the human body, being found in the upper respiratory tract, digestive tract, oral cavity and on the skin (4). It is when defenses are weak or when Streptococcus pyogenes is able to penetrate through these defenses can it cause infectious diseases. (4). The pathogen is airborne so a person with the infection can transmit it …show more content…
A sputum sample can be collected and some key tests that help identify just the genus Streptococcus includes: gram staining, mobility tests, oxidative-fermentative tests and endospore tests. The other tests that help identify the species include: capsule tests, catalase tests, hemolysis tests and pyrrolidonearylamidase tests. (2). The genus Streptococcus is a, gram-positive cocci which ferments sugar, but the final product will always be lactic acid (2). Streptococcus also occurs in pairs or chains, has no endospores and is not motile (1). Although all of the members of the genus Streptococcus have these characteristics the species Streptococcus pyogene has more unique features that helps distinguish it from the rest of the members of the genus. These characteristics include having a capsule, being catalase-negative, being a Group A aerotolerant anaerobe and showing beta hemolysis on blood agar (2). Even though how unique this species is and how important it is for human health, it has only been discovered not too long ago, in the 1900’s
The disease strep throat is one of the most common diseases for both children and teenagers. Some of the side affects of this disease include having a sore throat, swollen tonsils, and pain when swallowing . The pathogenic bacteria Streptococcus pyogenes causes this disease. Streptococcus pyogenes is in the phylum Firmicutes, the class Bacilli, the order Lactobacillales and the family Streptococcaeceae (Brenner, 2005). Streptococcus pyogenes natural habitat is the human body, being found in the upper respiratory tract, digestive tract, oral cavity and on the skin (4). It is when defenses are weak or when Streptococcus pyogenes is able to penetrate through these defenses can it cause infectious diseases. (4). The pathogen is airborne so a person with the infection can transmit it …show more content…
A sputum sample can be collected and some key tests that help identify just the genus Streptococcus includes: gram staining, mobility tests, oxidative-fermentative tests and endospore tests. The other tests that help identify the species include: capsule tests, catalase tests, hemolysis tests and pyrrolidonearylamidase tests. (2). The genus Streptococcus is a, gram-positive cocci which ferments sugar, but the final product will always be lactic acid (2). Streptococcus also occurs in pairs or chains, has no endospores and is not motile (1). Although all of the members of the genus Streptococcus have these characteristics the species Streptococcus pyogene has more unique features that helps distinguish it from the rest of the members of the genus. These characteristics include having a capsule, being catalase-negative, being a Group A aerotolerant anaerobe and showing beta hemolysis on blood agar (2). Even though how unique this species is and how important it is for human health, it has only been discovered not too long ago, in the 1900’s