Medical Dictionary
Main Entry:
Lance·field group Pronunciation:
'lan(t)s-"fEld- Variant:
also Lance·field's group /-"fEldz-/ Function:
noun : any of the serologically distinguishable groups into which most streptococci can be divided and which are based on the polysaccharide antigens present in the streptococcal cell walls—see
GROUP A,
GROUP B Lancefield,Rebecca Craighill (1895–1981), American bacteriologist. Lancefield specialized in immunochemical studies of streptococci. In 1928 she published a study of the chemical compositionand antigenicity of hemolytic streptococci. In 1933 she introduced a new method of classifying streptococci into groups according to the ability of antigens in their cell walls to induce the formationof antibodies which caused precipitation of the streptococci from solution. These groups are now known as the Lancefield groups.
