Sarcina (bacterium)

Sarcina is a genus of Gram-positive cocci bacteria in the family Clostridiaceae. A synthesizer of microbial cellulose, various members of the genus are human flora and may be found in the skin and large intestine. The genus takes its name from the Latin word "sarcina," meaning pack or bundle, after the cuboidal (2x2x2) cellular associations they form during division along three planes.

The genus's type species is Sarcina ventriculi, a variety found on the surface of cereal seeds, in soil, mud, and in the stomachs of humans, rabbits, and guinea pigs.

Species

 * Sarcina aurantiaca
 * Sarcina maxima has been reclassified to Clostridium maximum
 * Sarcina ventriculi, also known as Clostridium ventriculi
 * Sarcina lutea has been reclassified to Micrococcus luteus
 * Sarcina troglodytae is a chimpanzee pathogen