Aerococcus
Aerococcus, from Ancient Greek ἀήρ, meaning "air", and κόκκος, meaning "grain", is a genus of bacterium in the phylum Bacillota. The genus was first identified in 1953 from samples of air and dust as a catalase-negative, gram-positive coccus that grew in small clusters. They were subsequently found in hospital environments and meat-curing brines. It has been difficult to identify as it resembles alpha-hemolytic Streptococcus on blood agar plates and is difficult to identify by biochemical means. Sequencing of 16S rRNA has become the gold standard for identification, but other techniques such as MALDI-TOF have also been useful for identifying both the genus and species.
Etymology
The name Aerococcus derives from Ancient Greek ἀήρ, meaning "air", and κόκκος, meaning "grain". The name was given based on its round shape and that it was first discovered in air samples.Species
The genus contains these species:- A. agrisoli Sun et al., 2023
- A. christensenii Collins et al., 1999, named after Danish microbiologist Jens J. Christensen
- A. kribbianus Bai et al., 2024
- A. loyolae Choi et al., 2023
- A. mictus Choi et al., 2023
- A. sanguinicola Lawson et al., 2001
- A. suis Vela et al., 2007
- A. tenax Choi et al., 2023
- A. urinae Aguirre & Collins, 1992
- A. urinaeequi Felis et al., 2005
- A. urinaehominis Lawson et al., 2001
- A. vaginalis Tohno et al., 2014
- A. viridans Williams et al., 1953—type species ; causative agent of gaffkaemia in lobsters.