teichoic acids


teichoic acids

 [ti-ko´ik] antigenic polymers of glycerol or ribitol phosphates found attached to the cell walls or in intracellular association with membranes of gram-positive bacteria; they determine group specificity of some species, e.g., the staphylococci.

tei·cho·ic ac·ids

(tī-kō'ik as'idz), One of two classes (the other being the muramic acids or mucopeptides) of polymers constituting the cell walls of Gram-positive bacteria, but also found intracellularly; linear polymers of a polyol (ribitol phosphate or glycerol phosphate) carrying d-alanyl residues esterified to OH groups and glycosidically linked sugars.

tei·cho·ic ac·ids

(tī-kō'ik as'idz) One of two classes (the other being the muramic acids or mucopeptides) of polymers constituting the cell walls of gram-positive bacteria, but also found intracellularly.