What is the arrangement of Streptococcus mutans?

What is the arrangement of Streptococcus mutans?

The bacterium Streptococcus mutans is an example of a spherical (coccus) bacterium. This species of bacteria commonly aggregates into pairs and short chains.

What is the morphology of Streptococcus mutans?

Cell structure and metabolism Streptococcus mutans is a Gram-positive bacteria, has a thick cell wall, and retains a gentian violet. The cell wall is composed of peptidoglycan (murein) and teichoic acids that prevent osmotic lysis of cell protoplast and confer rigidity and shape on cell.

Which characteristic of mutans streptococci is attributed to its Cariogenicity?

Streptococcus mutans is considered one of the primary causative agents of dental caries and can also be a source of infective endocarditis. The main virulence factors associated with cariogenicity include adhesion, acidogenicity, and acid tolerance.

How does Streptococcus mutans form biofilm?

mutans metabolizes carbohydrates to adhere to and form biofilm on tooth surfaces, thus allowing the pathogen to tolerate rapid and frequent environmental fluctuations such as nutrient availability, aerobic-to-anaerobic transitions, and pH changes [62], [63] In addition, in response to physical and chemical signals.

Is Streptococcus mutans an opportunistic pathogen?

Hence, they are labeled as opportunistic pathogens that initiate disease and inflict damage to the host. The group of mutans streptococci was regarded as the most important etiological agent leading to the formation of clinical condition called dental caries.

What is acidogenic and Aciduric bacteria?

The acidogenic potential is defined as the amount (in mg) of lactic acid per mg plaque and minute of incubation, detected at either neutral or acidic pH. The ratio of the acidogenic potential at pH 5.5 by the acidogenic potential at pH 7.0 is defined as the aciduric potential (22).

Is Streptococcus salivarius Gram positive or negative?

Streptococcus salivarius is a gram positive bacterium found as part of the normal human oral microflora, predominantly colonising the tongue. Streptococcus salivarius K12 (isolated from the saliva of a healthy child) is a probiotic intended for use in oral cavity.

Are carbohydrates potentially cariogenic?

All fermentable dietary carbohydrates, especially sucrose, are potentially cariogenic, but sucrose is generally accepted as the most cariogenic dietary factor. Sucrose consumption has been associated most strongly by and consistently with the frequency of dental caries in humans.

What is the arrangement of cells in Streptococcus mutans?

The arrangement of cells in S. mutans is characteristic of all Streptococci as the cells are arranged in pairs or as short- to medium-length chains. This arrangement is due to the presence of successive division planes that are parallel to one another as in rod-shaped bacteria.

Is Streptococcus mutans Gram positive or negative?

Streptococcus mutans is a Gram-positive coccus that is a major inhabitant of the oral cavity and is considered a significant contributor of tooth decay and cavities.

Is Streptococcus mutans a commensal?

Streptococci are spherical or ovoid cells, arranged in chains or pairs where many species are members of the commensal microflora on mucosal membranes of humans or animals, and some are highly pathogenic. S. mutans is a commensal present as a part of the human normal flora, mostly in the oral cavity.

What is the history of Streptococcus mutans?

In 1924, J. Clarke isolated an organism from carious lesions and called it Streptococcus mutans, because he thought the oval shaped cells observed were mutant forms of streptococci (1).