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Micro World

How small is Micrococcus luteus?

Micrococcus luteus is about 1.5 µm across.

What is measured: spherical soil and skin bacterium

Micrococcus luteus (1.5 µm) drawn to scale beside a flu virus (100 nm) and an E. coli bacterium (2 µm)
Drawn to scale, from left to right: Flu virus (100 nm), Micrococcus luteus (1.5 µm) and E. coli bacterium (2 µm).

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How big is that, really?

  • About 75% of the length of an E. coli bacterium
  • About 5 would fit across a red blood cell
  • As wide as about 15 flu viruses side by side
  • About 60× as wide as a ribosome

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Facts about Micrococcus luteus

Micrococcus luteus produces a distinctive yellow pigment and is commonly found on human skin.

Source: ASM: Micrococcus luteus characteristics

Micro World

NameSizeCompared with Micrococcus luteus
Neisseria gonorrhoeae800 nm0.53×
Pandoravirus1 µm0.67×
Synechococcus Cyanobacterium1 µm0.67×
Nitrosomonas europaea Bacterium1.5 µmsame size
Micrococcus luteus1.5 µmthis page
Listeria monocytogenes2 µm1.3×
Campylobacter jejuni2 µm1.3×
Klebsiella pneumoniae2 µm1.3×
Deinococcus radiodurans2 µm1.3×
Shigella flexneri2.5 µm1.7×

Test your sense of scale

Which is bigger: Micrococcus luteus or Listeria monocytogenes?

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