Bacilli

Streptococcus pneumoniae, also known as “pneumococcus” is a gram-positive, non-motile, facultatively anaerobic, diplococcal, hemolytic bacterium of the phylum Firmicutes.

Modes of hemolysis differ in pneumococcus depending on environment:

• α-Hemolysis or “Green Hemolysis” — pneumococcus is α-hemolytic under aerobic conditons.
• β-Hemolysis or “Green Hemolysis” — pneumococcus is β-hemolytic