Streptococcus pyogenes

**Semantic type:** Bacterium

**Definition:** A species of facultatively anaerobic, Gram positive, cocci shaped bacteria in the phylum Firmicutes. This species is beta hemolytic, Lancefield group A, pyrrolidonylarylamidase, and arginine deaminase positive and catalase negative. It can ferment salicin, rhamnose, and trehalose but not sorbitol, or ribose. S. pyogenes is found on normal human skin but can act as a pathogen causing streptococcal pharyngitis, acute rheumatic fever, scarlet fever, skin infections, acute glomerulonephritis and necrotizing fasciitis.

**Synonyms:** - Group A Beta-Hemolytic Streptococcus pyogenes - Group A Beta-hemolytic Streptococcus pyogenes - Micrococcus scarlatinae - STREPTOCOCCUS PYOGENES - STREPTOCOCCUS PYOGENES - Streptococcus erysipelatos - Streptococcus hemolyticus - Streptococcus scarlatinae