Synonyms
Definition
A group of microorganisms that will stain crystal violet on gram staining method.
Structure
The main theme for the gram-positive bacteria is a thick layer of peptidoglycan that will provide protection and maintain the cell wall shape and structure. Additionally, few bacteria have lipoteichoic acid and teichoic acid in their walls. The main functions of teichoic acid are to further strengthen the cell wall, help in the sequestration of calcium ion, and act as an activator of innate immune system. Other structures which could be found regardless of the bacteria gram stain include capsule which is useful in the protection from phagocytosis, pili that are used by bacteria for adherence or sexual reproduction and flagellum for movement.
Function
Certain types of bacteria are found in the normal flora of human bodies. In the ocular flora, gram-positive bacteria that could be isolated include Staphylococci, Corynebacterium, Streptococcusspecies,...
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Further Reading
Deibel JP, Cowling K (2013) Ocular inflammation and infection. Emerg Med Clin North Am 31:387–397
Miller D, Iovieno A (2009) The role of microbial flora on the ocular surface. Curr Opin Allergy Clin Immunol 9:466–470
Murray PR, Rosenthal KS, Pfaller MA (2013) Medical microbiology, 7th edn. Saunders, pp 109–121
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© 2014 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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Tuwairqi, K. (2014). Gram-Positive Bacteria. In: Schmidt-Erfurth, U., Kohnen, T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Ophthalmology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-35951-4_797-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-35951-4_797-1
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Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
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