coccus
bacterial shape
Also known as: cocci
- Plural:
- Cocci
- Related Topics:
- staphylococcus
- streptococcus
- sarcina
- diplococcus
- tetrad
coccus, in microbiology, a spherical-shaped bacterium. Many species of bacteria have characteristic arrangements that are useful in identification. Pairs of cocci are called diplococci; rows or chains of such cells are called streptococci; grapelike clusters of cells, staphylococci; packets of eight or more cells, sarcinae; and groups of four cells in a square arrangement, tetrads. These characteristic groupings occur as a result of variations in the reproduction process in bacteria. See also Staphylococcus; Streptococcus.