Gram positive cocci in chains, facultatively anaerobic, variable hemolysis
Smells like butterscotch
S. anginosus group (used to be called S. milleri group) consists of three distinct species of viridans streptococci (S. anginosus, S. intermedius, S. constellatus)
Abscesses - Propensity for invasion including:
Head and neck
Intra-abdominal
Hepatic
Cerebral
Empyema
Rarely a contaminant when present in blood cultures, rarely endocarditis
When these organisms grow in blood culture, look for the abscess
Generally abscesses need surgical drainage depending on size/location
