Produces alpha-hemolysis on blood agar, a characteristic linked to the ability of viridans streptococci to oxidize hemoglobin in erythrocytes by secretion of H2O2.
Possesses a remarkable abundance of putative surface proteins, which may permit it to be a primary colonizer of the oral cavity and agent of streptococcal endocarditis and infection in neutropenic patients.
Isolated from human dental plaque.
