

The cocci are arranged in packets of four cells, as the cells divide in two plains.Įxamples: Aerococcus, Pediococcus and Tetragenococcus 4. The cocci are arranged in chains, as the cells divide in one plane.Įxamples: Streptococcus pyogenes, Streptococcus agalactiae 3. DiplococciĮxamples: Streptococcus pneumoniae, Moraxella catarrhalis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, etc. These group characteristics are often used to help identify certain cocci. Cocci may remain attached after cell division. Cocci may be oval, elongated, or flattened on one side.

A special group of spirilla known as spirochetes are long, slender, and flexible.Ĭocci bacteria can exist singly, in pairs (as diplococci ), in groups of four (as tetrads ), in chains (as streptococci ), in clusters (as stapylococci ), or in cubes consisting of eight cells (as sarcinae). Many spirilla are rigid and capable of movement. Spirilla (or spirillum for a single cell) are curved bacteria which can range from a gently curved shape to a corkscrew-like spiral.Bacilli (or bacillus for a single cell) are rod-shaped bacteria.Cocci (or coccus for a single cell) are round cells, sometimes slightly flattened when they are adjacent to one another.The three basic bacterial shapes are coccus (spherical), bacillus (rod-shaped), and spiral (twisted), however pleomorphic bacteria can assume several shapes. Thus a few bacteria are much larger than the average eukaryotic cell (typical plant and animal cells are around 10 to 50 µm in diameter). Usually it is 0.1-0.3 mm (100-300 µm) across, but bigger cells have been observed up to 0.75 mm (750 µm). Thiomargarita namibiensis is world’s largest bacteria, a gram-negative Proteobacterium found in the ocean sediments off the coast of Namibia.

