Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
Lancefield classification
References
Britannica AI Icon

Lancefield classification

biology
Written by
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

The Information Architects maintain a master list of the topics included in the corpus of  Encyclopædia Britannica, and create and manage the relationships between them.
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Last updated

Quick Summary

The Lancefield classification is a system used to categorize different types of streptococcal bacteria. Developed by American bacteriologist Rebecca Lancefield, this classification is based on the specific carbohydrates found in the bacteria's cell walls.12

This system was crucial in understanding that a single type of streptococcal bacterium could cause various diseases, such as scarlet fever, erysipelas, or sore throats, challenging the previous belief that each illness stemmed from a distinct bacterial type. Lancefield's work significantly improved the treatment of streptococcal infections, including those leading to rheumatic fever and kidney inflammation.2

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
2 Britannica Sources
  1. streptococcus
  2. Rebecca Lancefield

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.