History, Culture Conditions, and Gram Staining

Culture Conditions

·      Requires choline and reducing agents in media.

·      Facultative anaerobe

·      Grows best at a pH of 7.8.

·      Optimal growth temperature 30-35C

·      Grows best on a blood agar plate.

·      Needs vitamin B complex, 7-10 amino acids, adenine, guanine, and uracil.

Source: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2180/5/34

Streptococcus pneumoniae is gram-positive

source: http://web.uconn.edu/mcbstaff/graf/Student%20presentations/Streptococcuspneu/Spneumo.jpg

Here the Streptococcus pneumoniae are shown as the dark cocci in the picture from a gram stain.

History

1881: Pasteur isolates Streptococcus pneumoniae for the first time.

1884: The discovery of Gram staining allows S. pneumoniae to be identified from other causes of pneumonia.

1940: By this time 80 plus serotypes of pneumococci had been described.

1960s: Many patients died despite receiving penicillin to treat S. pneumoniae infections.

1977: The first US pneumococcal vaccine is licensed.

Source: http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/pinkbook/downloads/pneumo.pdf