Search results
Results From The WOW.Com Content Network
A coccus (plural cocci, from the Latin coccinus (scarlet) and derived from the Greek kokkos (berry)), is any microorganism (usually bacteria) [1] whose overall shape is spherical or nearly spherical. [2] [3] [4] Coccus refers to the shape of the bacteria and can contain multiple genera, such as staphylococci or streptococci. Cocci can grow in ...
[31] [32] [33] Bacteria may alter their shape by simpler transitions from rod to coccoid (and vice versa) as in Escherichia coli, [34] by more complex transitions while establishing multicellularity [31] or by the development of specialized cells, structures or appendages where the population presents a pleomorphic lifestyle. [35]
Bacteria come in a wide variety of shapes. Perhaps the most elemental structural property of bacteria is their morphology (shape). Typical examples include: coccus (circle or spherical) bacillus (rod-like) coccobacillus (between a sphere and a rod) spiral (corkscrew-like) filamentous (elongated)
Streptococcus is a genus of gram-positive or spherical bacteria that belongs to the family Streptococcaceae, within the order Lactobacillales (lactic acid bacteria), in the phylum Bacillota. [2] 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.
Staphylococcus is a genus of Gram-positive bacteria in the family Staphylococcaceae from the order Bacillales.Under the microscope, they appear spherical (), and form in grape-like clusters.
This causes the bacteria to form filaments, elongated cells that lack internal cross-walls. [10] After a period of time, the cell walls of the filaments are digested, and the bacteria collapse into very large spheres surrounded by just their cytoplasmic and outer membranes.
Some bacteria, called vibrio, are shaped like slightly curved rods or comma-shaped; others can be spiral-shaped, called spirilla, or tightly coiled, called spirochaetes. A small number of other unusual shapes have been described, such as star-shaped bacteria. [44]
Bacterial morphological plasticity refers to changes in the shape and size that bacterial cells undergo when they encounter stressful environments. Although bacteria have evolved complex molecular strategies to maintain their shape, many are able to alter their shape as a survival strategy in response to protist predators, antibiotics, the immune response, and other threats.