What type of hemolysis is exhibited by Streptococcus pyogenes on blood agar?
Practice Questions
Q1
What type of hemolysis is exhibited by Streptococcus pyogenes on blood agar?
Alpha hemolysis
Beta hemolysis
Gamma hemolysis
Delta hemolysis
Questions & Step-by-Step Solutions
What type of hemolysis is exhibited by Streptococcus pyogenes on blood agar?
Step 1: Understand what hemolysis means. Hemolysis is the breakdown of red blood cells.
Step 2: Know that blood agar is a type of growth medium used to culture bacteria and observe their hemolytic activity.
Step 3: Identify the types of hemolysis: alpha (partial breakdown), beta (complete breakdown), and gamma (no breakdown).
Step 4: Learn about Streptococcus pyogenes, a type of bacteria that can be cultured on blood agar.
Step 5: Observe that when Streptococcus pyogenes is grown on blood agar, it causes a clear zone around the colonies, indicating complete breakdown of red blood cells.
Step 6: Conclude that this clear zone is classified as beta hemolysis.