Final answer:
The green zone around the colony on blood agar is indicative of alpha hemolysis, caused by the partial lysis of red blood cells and commonly associated with bacteria like Streptococcus pneumoniae.
Step-by-step explanation:
The type of hemolysis described is alpha hemolysis (α-hemolysis), which is characterized by a green zone around the colony on blood agar due to partial lysis of red blood cells (RBCs). This effect is caused by the reduction of hemoglobin to methemoglobin, which manifests as a greenish color surrounding the colonies of certain bacteria like Streptococcus pneumoniae, viridans streptococci, and some enterococci. Alpha hemolysis is distinct from beta hemolysis, which shows a clear zone around the colonies on blood agar, indicative of complete lysis of RBCs.
The hemolysis described in the question is known as alpha-hemolysis.
Alpha-hemolysis is characterized by the formation of a green zone around the bacterial colony. This green coloring is caused by the partial lysis of red blood cells. Examples of bacteria that exhibit alpha-hemolysis include Streptococcus pneumoniae, viridans streptococci, and some enterococci.