Topic summary
Streptococcus viridans
Extracted from the Wikipedia article Viridans streptococci.
The viridans streptococci are a large group of commensalstreptococcalGram-positive bacteria species that are α-hemolytic, producing a green coloration on blood agar plates (hence the name "viridans", from Latin "vĭrĭdis", green), although some species in this group are actually γ-hemolytic, meaning they produce no change on blood agar. The pseudo-taxonomic term "Streptococcus viridans" is often used to refer to this group of species, but writers who do not like to use the pseudotaxonomic term (which treats a group of species as if they were one species) prefer the terms viridans streptococci, viridans group streptococci (VGS), or viridans streptococcal species.