Cross Index Spirochaeta
SuperSet Prokaryote, Eubacteria Spirochaetacae
Compare Borrelia, Brachyspia aalborgi, Cristispira pectinis, L eptonema illini, Leptospira, Serpulina
Spirochaeta, Treponema, Genera of Insect Gut Spirochetes
Contrast Archaea
Subset  

 

Morphology Spirochaeta
CELLULAR  
Staining Gram negative
Morphology Helical cells 0.2-0.75 um in diameter and 5-250 um in length.. Under unfavourable conditions spherical cells or structures 0.5-2.0 um (occasionally up to 10 um) in diameter are formed
Motility Cells locomote when suspended in liquids and crawl or creep when in contact with solid surfaces.
Specialized structures All species have 2 periplasmic flagella/cell except Spirochaeta plicatilis, which has many periplasmic flagella
Division  
COLONIAL  
Solid surface  
Liquid  

 

Growth Parameters Spirochaeta
PHYSIOLOGICAL  
Oxygen Obligately anaerobic or facultatively anaerobic.
pH  
Temperature 25-40`C.
Requires Chemoorganotrophic, using a variety of casrbohydrates as carbon and energy sources.
Products Under aerobic growth conditions the facultatively anaerobic species usually produce carotenoid pigments that give a yellow, yellow-orange or red colouration to colonies. The main products of anaerobic carbohydrate metabolism are ethanol, acetate, CO2 and acetate
Enzymes  
Unique features  
ENVIRONMENTAL  
Habitat Indigenous to aquatic environments such as the sediments, mud and water of ponds, marshes, swamps, lakes and rivers. Occur commonly in H2S- containing environments. Present in freshwater and marine environments.
Lifestyle Free living.
Pathogenicity None reported to be pathogenic
Distribution  

 

Genome Spirochaeta
G+C Mol % 51-65 (Bd).
   

 

Reference Spirochaeta
First citation Ehrenberg , C.G.(1835) Dritter Beitrag zur Erkenntniss grosser Organisation in der Richtung des Kleinsten Raumes. Abh. Preuss. Akad. Wiss Phys. Kl. Berlin aus den Jahre 1833-1835, pp 143-336
Previous names  
The Prokaryotes P
Bergey's Systematatic p 39 E. Canale-Parola
Bergey's Determinative p 30
References