A genus of spherical bacteria that naturally live in the intestines of humans and other animals; sometimes called a streptococcus.
From Greek 'enteron' (intestine) and 'kokkos' (grain or berry, referring to the round shape). Named in the late 1800s when scientists could finally see and classify these microorganisms under microscopes.
Enterococcus was considered harmless for decades, but now it's one of the most antibiotic-resistant bacteria in hospitals—a perfect example of how bacteria evolve to survive our medicines!
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