If the peptidoglycan layer is thin, it's classified as gram negative. A gram-positive bacillus doesn't have an outer cell wall beyond the peptidoglycan membrane. This makes it more absorbent.

Striking elevations in concentrations of total serum lipids were observed in patients with infection caused by gram-negative bacilli. The elevated levels of total lipid in these patients were due ...

Affected patients spend more days in the ICU and on a ventilator before having positive cultures than do patients with pneumonias caused by other gram-negative bacilli or uninfected patients.

Gram-positive bacteria can be cocci- (spheres) or bacilli- (rod) shaped, or have branching filaments. Gram-negative bacteria have an outer membrane. However, they have a thinner peptidoglycan cell ...