Hemolytic bacteria are organisms that lyse red blood cells through the production of hemolysins. On blood agar, they are classified as β-hemolytic (complete lysis, e.g., Streptococcus pyogenes, Staphylococcus aureus), α-hemolytic (partial lysis, e.g., Streptococcus pneumoniae, Viridans streptococci), or γ-hemolytic (non-hemolytic, e.g., Enterococcus faecalis). Hemolysis patterns aid in bacterial identification and diagnosis of infections.