Streptococcus pyogenes refers to a specific genus and species pair which shares many common characteristics with a wide range of microorganisms in the same genus. For sake of convenience at the expense of scientific specificity, we will refer to Streptococcus pyogenes from here on out simply as strep, although this is understood to apply only …
Recent news reports have highlighted the potentially serious, and usually deadly, risk of the fungal disease known as mucormycocis. While Mucor refers to a specific genus of fungi with thousands of species included, the disease is not exclusively caused by the Mucor genus; other genus of fungi may be implicated. Mucormycosis Risk While mucormycosis is …
Staphylococcus is the genus name of a very large group of closely related bacteria, some of which are commonly found on and in the human body, and some of these bacteria are notorious causes of infection and disease. Among the most common of these bacteria that are capable of causing disease are Staphylococcus aureus and …
Serratia is the genus name of a group of relatively common bacteria, the most common of which is Serratia marcescens. There are other species within the genus, a few of which have on rare occasion caused disease in humans, but the vast majority of infections with the Serratia occur with Serratia marcescens, and from this …
Pseudomonas is the genus name of a large group of bacteria, some of which can infect and sicken humans. The number of bacteria assigned to Pseudomonas has declined in recent years as the advent and widespread adoption of genetic testing of bacteria has caused many former members of Pseudomonas to be moved to existing, or …
Klebsiella pneumoniae is the specific name of a bacterium that is capable of causing serious illness, especially pneumonia, as the name suggests, in susceptible people. Klebsiella bacteria are found in several areas of the human body, especially in the intestinal tract, where they do not cause disease, but when circumstances allow, they can be very …
Escherichia Basics Escherichia is the genus name of a group of bacteria that contains at least 7 different species, although by far the most well-known and well-studied is clearly Escherichia coli (E. coli). Because E. coli is so common in the environment and in humans, as well as in other animals and because it is …
Enterococcus is the genus name of a group of bacteria that contains about 20 different species that have been implicated in human disease at some point. However, the overwhelming majority of such infections result from Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis) with most all of the remaining infections being accounted for by Enterococcus faecium (E. faecium). The …
Enterobacter Basics Enterobacter is the genus name of a group of bacteria consisting of between 12 and 14 species that are known to potentially cause disease in humans, although other Enterobacter species (sp) certainly exist in the environment without causing any known infections in any other organism. Enterobacter species are generally members of what is …
This is a fairly technical and complex issue but we will do our best to make it accessible and comprehensible to the average person. It is best approached by breaking down the components of the issue into their respective parts. Enterobacteriaceae Basics To start with, the Enterobacteriaceae is the scientific name for a large family …
Extended Spectrum Beta-Lactamase Resistant (ESBLR) Enterobacteriaceae Read More »