Question

What are the different forms of cocci bacteria?

Answer 1

Bacteria are one of the oldest forms of life on the planet today. Even though most bacteria make us sick, they have a long-term, mutual relationship with us and are critical to our survival. Bacteria are unicellular organisms that belong to the prokaryotic group and lack a true nucleus and a few organelles.

Complete answer:
Bacteria are classified into different categories based on their characteristics and features. Bacteria are classified primarily based on the following criteria:
Shape
Composition of the cell wall
Mode of respiration
Mode of nutrition
Bacteria are classified into four types based on their forms: coccus, bacillus, spirillum, and vibrio.
Any bacteria or archaeon with a spherical, ovoid, or generally round shape is called a coccus (plural cocci). Bacteria are divided into three classes based on their shapes: cocci (spherical), bacillus (rod-shaped), and spirochetes (spiral-shaped). The genus Coccus refers to the shape of bacteria and can include several genera, such as staphylococci and streptococci.
Cocci are classified into the following categories based on the mode of their aggregation:

Form of cocci	Occurrence of cells	Example
Moncocci	Single cells	Micrococcus
Diplococci	Occur in pairs	Diplococcus pneumoniae
Streptococci	Occur in a long chain	Streptococcus pyogenes causes sore throat
Tetracocci	Arranged in groups of four each	Tetracoccus
Sarcinae	Arranged regularly in a cuboidal fashion	Sarcina lutea
Staphylococci	Cells arranged in an irregular fashion	Staphylococcus aureus causes boils

Note:
The structure of cocci varies depending on whether the bacterial wall is gram-positive or gram-negative. Gram-positive (thick peptidoglycan layers) and gram-negative (thin peptidoglycan layers) cocci have different cell wall structures (thin peptidoglycan layers). Cocci can be pathogenic (e.g., Streptococcus), commensal, or symbiotic while living in their host organism.