Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Any of various round gram-positive bacteria of the genus Streptococcus that occur in pairs or chains and can cause various infections in humans, including strep throat, erysipelas, and scarlet fever.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A genus of bacteria belonging to the family Coccaceæ. The cells are spherical, frequently forming chains; flagella are wanting. Division is in but one direction. The species are mostly associated with pathogenic conditions of animal tissues. S. pyogenes is a common pus-forming species.
  • noun A bacterium of the genus Streptococcus.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun (Biol.) A long or short chain of micrococci, more or less curved.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A spherical, gram-positive bacterium of the genus Streptococcus. Although commonly found benignly in the human mouth and gut, and though many species are non-pathogenic, other species can cause diseases including strep throat and more serious conditions.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun spherical Gram-positive bacteria occurring in pairs or chains; cause e.g. scarlet fever and tonsillitis

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Morphologically a compound of strepto- + -coccus. They grow in chains or pairs, thus the name — from Ancient Greek στρεπτός (streptos, "twisted, pliant"), like a chain.

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Examples

  • ANDREWS: Yes, my wife had something called streptococcus B, and she needed to be on antibiotics during the delivery, either C-section or natural, or else the baby could die.

    CNN Transcript - Larry King Live: Husband of Pregnant Mother Murdered for Unborn Son Speaks Out; Will the U.S. Retaliate for Yesterday's Terrorist Attack? - October 13, 2000 2000

  • Having studied many cases of child-bed fever at the hospitals, he declared before a medical society that he had seen its cause, and challenged he drew a picture resembling a rosary of what we now know as a streptococcus, or chain coccus.

    The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume 11: New Mexico-Philip 1840-1916 1913

  • Along with pneumococcus, that class includes diphtheria, tetanus, listeria and group A streptococcus, which is also known as the flesh-eating bacterium.

    THE MEDICAL NEWS 2010

  • Decay is caused by bacteria, called streptococcus mutans, that live in the mouth and feed on sugar in the diet.

    Home | Mail Online 2010

  • Along with pneumococcus, that class includes diphtheria, tetanus, listeria and group A streptococcus, which is also known as the flesh-eating bacterium.

    THE MEDICAL NEWS 2010

  • Along with pneumococcus, that class includes diphtheria, tetanus, listeria and group A streptococcus, which is also known as the flesh-eating bacterium.

    THE MEDICAL NEWS 2010

  • Decay is caused by bacteria, called streptococcus mutans, that live in the mouth and feed on sugar in the diet.

    Home | Mail Online 2010

  • Along with pneumococcus, that class includes diphtheria, tetanus, listeria and group A streptococcus, which is also known as the flesh-eating bacterium.

    The Earth Times Online Newspaper 2010

  • The rotavirus vaccine protects against severe vomiting, diarrhea and dehydration caused by the rotavirus; and the pneumococcal vaccine protects against serious infections such as pneumonia, meningitis, and blood poisoning, as well as ear infections caused by bacteria known as streptococcus pneumoniae.

    Cayman Net News Daily Headlines 2010

  • Along with pneumococcus, that class includes diphtheria, tetanus, listeria and group A streptococcus, which is also known as the flesh-eating bacterium.

    The Earth Times Online Newspaper 2010

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