Streptococcus phocae
Taxonomy
Morphology
Cultural characteristics
Biochemical characters
Ecology
Pathogenicity
References
Phylum Firmicutes, Class Bacilli, Order Lactobacillales, Family Streptococcaceae, Genus Streptococcus, Streptococcus phocae
Skaar et al. 1994.
Two subspecies:
-
Streptococcus phocae subsp. phocae (Skaar et al. 1994) Avendano et al. 2014, Lancefield group F, C or non-groupable.
-
Streptococcus phocae subsp. salmonis Avendano et al. 2014, Lancefield group G.
Gram-positive cocci, 1 μm in diameter, grouped in pairs or chains. Nonmotile.
Nonspore-forming. Unpigmented, circular, entire and slightly convex with smooth and
glistening surfaces colonies. The colonies range from pinpoint up to 0.8 mm in
diameter after aerobic incubation at 37 ºC for 24 hours.
Growth temperature 37 ºC. No growth at 10 or 45 ºC. Aerobic, facultatively anaerobic.
Grows on Trypticase soy agar with 5% sheep blood. Does not grow in the presence of
40% bile or in 6.5% NaCl broth.
Streptococcus phocae subsp. phocae was solated from dead seals (lungs, liver, kidneys, spleen). Susceptible to bacitracin (0.04 IU).
Resistant to optochin.
Streptococcus phocae subsp. salmonis was isolated from Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) cage-farmed in Chile.
Produce beta-hemolysin.
Subsp. phocae was isolated from dead seals with pneumonia lesions.
  1. Skaar I., Gaustad P., Tonjum T., Holm B. & Stenwig H.: Streptococcus phocae sp. nov., a new species isolated from clinical
    specimens from seals. Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol., 1994, 44, 646-650.
  2. Avendano-Herrera, R., Balboa, S., Castro, N., Gonzalez-Contreras, A., Magarinos, B., Fernandez, J., Toranzo, A. E. and Romalde, J.
    S. L. 2014. Comparative polyphasic characterization of Streptococcus phocae strains with different host origin and description of
    the subspecies Streptococcus phocae subsp. salmonis subsp. nov. Int. J. Syst. Evol. Microbiol., 64, 1775-1781.
  3. Vandamme P., Devriese L.A., Pot B., Kersters K. & Melin P.: Streptococcus difficile is a nonhemolytic group B, type Ib
    streptococcus. Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol., 1997, 47, 81-85.
  4. Robert A. Whiley and Jeremy M. Hardie, 2009. Genus I. Streptococcus Rosenbach 1884, 22AL. In: (Eds.) P.D. Vos, G. Garrity, D.
    Jones, N.R. Krieg, W. Ludwig, F.A. Rainey, K.-H. Schleifer, W.B. Whitman. Bergey’s Manual of Systematic Bacteriology, Volume 3:
    The Firmicutes, Springer, 655-711.
Note: subspecies cannot be differentiated by biochemical tests.

Positive results for alkaline phosphatase, acid production from: N-acetylglucosamine, D-fructose, glucose, maltose, D-mannose &
ribose.

Negative results for hydrolysis of arginine, esculin, starch, hippurate, beta-glucuronidase, pyrrolidonylarylamidase, Voges-Proskauer
reaction, acid production from: galactose, glycerol, inulin, inositol, lactose, mannitol, melezitose, D-raffinose, salicin, sorbitol sucrose,
D-turanose & trehalose.

Variable results for acid production from: glycogen & starch.
(c) Costin Stoica
Antibiogram
Encyclopedia
Culture media
Biochemical tests
Stainings
Images
Movies
Articles
Identification
Software
R E G N U M
PROKARYOTAE
Previous page
Back