Neisseria

noun

Neis·​se·​ria nī-ˈsir-ē-ə 

: a genus (the type of the family Neisseriaceae) of parasitic bacteria that grow in pairs and occasionally tetrads, thrive best at 98.6°F (37°C) in the animal body or serum media, and include the gonococcus (N. gonorrhoeae) and meningococcus (N. meningitidis)