The Enterococcus

In 1899, Thiercilin used the term “enterococcus” to describe microscopic organisms seen in pairs or short chains in feces. Later (in the 1930s) the name was used in a more restrictive sense for streptococci that had the hardy capacity to survive under extreme conditions. Enterococci belong to a group D family of streptococci, as characterized by Lancefield in 1938. In contrast to other groups of streptococci, the group D antigen is not a wall carbohydrate but a glycerol teichoic acid containing glucose and D-alanine. This antigen appears to be related directly to the cytoplasm or plasma membrane.