Streptococcus mutans
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Classification
The genus Streptococcus is defined mainly in terms of the morphology of the cells. These bacteria are gram-positive spherical cells that appear mainly in chains due to cell division in the same plane. Incomplete separation of divided cells produces the chain of cells which vary in length. [2]
Higher order taxa
Streptococcus mutans was first described by JK Clark in 1924 after he isolated it from a carious legion, but it wasn’t until the 1960’s that a great deal of interest was generated when researchers began studying dental caries. [2]
Domain; Phylum; Class; Order; family [Others may be used. Use Tree of Life link to find]
Species
The group of oral streptococci closely related to S. mutans is referred to as the “mutans group” or mutans streptococci. The actual taxonomic bacteria Streptococcus mutans is always written in italics while the group name mutans streptococci is not. [3] The mutans group consists of S. rattus, S. mutans, S. cricetus, S. maccacae, S. sobrinus, and S. downeii. [2] S. mutans and S. sobrinus comprise the majority of the group and are only found in humans. [2] They can be distinguished by laboratory tests, but it is not always practical due to costs and time. There is no selective media that would allow the detection and separation of the species and laboratory work is therefore done on the entire mutans streptococci group. Because of its greater prevalence, most of the isolates will in fact be S. mutans. [3]
The two selective media that are widely used for isolating caries-related streptococci are based on Mitis-Salivarius agar and TYC agar to which the antibiotic Bacitracin is added (TYSCB). This suppresses the growth of most species but allows S. mutans and S. sobrinus to grow. The inclusion of sucrose leads to the formation of glucans and a distinctive colony appearance that aids in identification. [3]
Genus species
Description and significance
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Genome structure
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Cell structure and metabolism
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Ecology
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Pathology
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Application to Biotechnology
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Current Research
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