User:Maphouse8/Streptococcus mitis

Classification:

Members of the Streptococcus genera belong to lactic acid bacteria defined by the formation of lactic acid as an end-product of carbohydrate metabolism. The family Streptococcaceae is characterized by based upon its 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis within the low (< 50 mol%) G+C branch of the Gram-positive eubacteria. There are over 50 species in the genus which are classified by 16S rRNA sequences.

Edits for introduction:

Streptococcus mitis is a mesophilic alpha-hemolytic species of Streptococcus that inhabits the oral cavity. It is coccus (spherical shaped), gram-positive, catalase negative, and facultative anaerobe. It was previously classified as Streptococcus mitior. Streptococcus mitis is known to cause several medical conditions one of them being infective endocarditis.

Original:

Streptococcus mitis, previously known as Streptococcus mitior, is a mesophilic alpha-hemolytic species of Streptococcus that inhabits the human mouth. It is most commonly found in the throat, nasopharynx, and mouth. It is a Gram-positive coccus, facultative anaerobe and catalase negative. It can cause infective endocarditis. It has been widely reported that this organism survived for over two years on the Surveyor 3 probe on the Moon; but some NASA scientists suggest this may be a result of contamination during or after return of Surveyor parts to Earth.

Approach
It has been reported that Streptococcus mitis identified and survived for over two years on the Surveyor 3 probe on the Moon. However, many NASA scientists speculate that this is most probably due to contamination upon return to Earth. The Apollo 12 crew received pieces of Surveyor in 1969, one of these was the TV camera. The probe was then analyzed to consider how the lunar environment affected the material. Surveyor 3 had not been sterilized before its launch because scientists wanted to see if organisms could survive the two and half years on the moon, so looking for surviving organic material was apart of this analysis.

Results
Upon inspection, a group found an amount of S. mitis inside a piece of foam located inside the camera. Culture plates were made and the identity was later confirmed as Streptococcus mitis  at the US Communicable Disease Center at Atlanta, Georgia. At first, it was speculated that S. mitis had been picked up from the moon but research later discovered that the residence of the bacteria on the probe had started before the launch which is attributed to the camera not being sterilized before the launch. These finding are still impressive because the results conclude that the bacteria survived without a nutrient source, three years of exposure to radiation, temperatures of 20 degrees above absolute zero, and space vacuum.

Habitat
Streptococcus mitis primarily resides in the oral cavity which includes the mouth, nasopharynx, and throat. However, there have also been cases of it in the female genital tract, the gastrointestinal tract, and even in the integumentary system.

References

[https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1201971208000337#:~:text=Streptococcus%20mitis%20is%20prevalent%20in,%2Dthreatening%20infections%2C%20particularly%20endocarditis. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1201971208000337#:~:text=Streptococcus%20mitis%20is%20prevalent%20in,%2Dthreatening%20infections%2C%20particularly%20endocarditis.]

[https://lsda.jsc.nasa.gov/Experiment/exper/1651? https://lsda.jsc.nasa.gov/Experiment/exper/1651?]