Lexic.us

Definition of Gram-negative

1. Adjective. (of bacteria) being of or relating to a bacterium that does not retain the violet stain used in Gram's method.

Definition of Gram-negative

1. Adjective. (alternative form of gram-negative) ¹

2. Adjective. (context: medicine of a bacterium) that is not stained violet by Gram's method ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Medical Definition of Gram-negative

1. A common class of bacteria normally found in the gastrointestinal tract that can be responsible for disease in man (sepsis). Bacteria are considered to be gram-negative because of their characteristic staining properties under the microscope, where they either do not stain or are decolourised by alcohol during Gram's method of staining. This is a primary characteristic of bacteria that have a cell wall composed of a thin layer of peptidoglycan covered by an outer membrane of lipoprotein and lipopolysaccharide containing endotoxin. The gram staining characteristics of bacteria have resulted in an important classification system for the identification of bacteria. See: gram-positive (06 Oct 1997)

Lexicographical Neighbors of Gram-negative

Literary usage of Gram-negative

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. The Journal of Infectious Diseases by Infectious Diseases Society of America, John Rockefeller McCormick Memorial Fund, John McCormick Institute for Infectious Diseases (1914)
"gram-negative cocci are viable since cultures from suspensions in which gram-negative forms predominate show abundant growth. ..."

2. Surgery, Gynecology & Obstetrics by The American College of Surgeons, Franklin H. Martin Memorial Foundation (1922)
"Gram negative bacilli. Cultures— plate overgrown with bacillus proteus. Smears show gram negative bacilli, staphylococci and diphtheroids. ..."

3. Science by American Association for the Advancement of Science (1922)
"The lungs of the anacondas presented a slightly different appearance, for the gram negative bacilli tend to be collected in masses in the alveoli and ..."

4. Practical Bacteriology, Blood Work and Animal Parasitology: Including by Edward Rhodes Stitt (1916)
"gram-negative Cocci.—It is important to bear in mind that there are many cocci of varying shapes, which in cultures or in smears from FIG. 15.—Gonococcus. ..."

5. Practical Bacteriology, Blood Work and Animal Parasitology: Including by Edward Rhodes Stitt (1916)
"gram-negative Cocci.—It is important to bear in mind that there are many cocci of varying shapes, which in cultures or in smears from FIG. 15.—Gonococcus. ..."

6. The American Journal of the Medical Sciences by Southern Society for Clinical Investigation (U.S.) (1919)
"gram-negative diplococci, agglutinated by Rockefeller Institute polyvalent ... From 14 of these 22 cultures gram-negative diplococci were isolated in pure ..."

7. Pathogenic microorganisms by William Hallock Park (1920)
"A Gram-stained smear may show all gram-negative or all Gram- positive microbes or a mixture of the two, or it may show a number only partially stained ..."

Other Resources: