A spherical or nearly spherical bacterium, as opposed to rod-shaped (bacilli) or spiral (spirilla) bacteria.
From Greek kokkos meaning berry, used by scientists because the round bacteria resemble tiny berries under early microscopes.
Cocci are some of the most dangerous bacteria to humans—Streptococcus causes strep throat, Staphylococcus causes staph infections, and Neisseria causes meningitis, all because of their round shape and clustering ability.
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