Spirochaete - wikipedia Spirochaete This article is about the bacterial phylum. For spiral - shaped bacteria in general, see spiral bacteria. Spirochaetes Spirochaetes. Numbered marks are 10 μm apart. Gram - stained. Treponema pallidum spirochaetes which cause syphilis Scientific classification Domain : Bacteria Phylum : Spirochaetes Garrity & Holt 2001 Class : Spirochaetia Paster 2011 Orders & Families Brachyspirales Brachyspiraceae Brevinematales Brevinemataceae Leptospirales Leptospiraceae Spirochaetales Borreliaceae Spirochaetaceae Sarpulinaceae Synonyms Spirochaetae Cavalier - Smith 2002 Spirochaetaeota Oren et al. 2015 Cross section of a spirochaete cell Endoflagella Components. Legend : Fig. 1 A cross-section of a typical spirochete cell showing endoflagella located in the periplasm between the inner cytoplasmic membrane and the outer membrane. Periplasm, consisting of a gel - like matrix, provides a semi-stable medium to secure endoflagella during rotation. The axial filament, indicated in red, is composed of bundles of endoflagella. Fig. 2 A side - view of a spirochete cell which shows two axial filaments in opposing motion. One axial filament rotates in a clockwise orientation ; an adjacent axial filament rotates in a counter-clockwise orientation. Rotation of the endoflagella creates torsion and drives the corkscrew rotation of the cell. Fig. 3 An expanded view of the cellular membranes that surround endoflagellum. Both the inner and outer membrane contain a phospholipid bi-layer, with non-polar fatty acid chains in - ward of polar phosphorus heads. Peptidoglycan, the cell wall, provides structure in bacterial microorganisms. Axial filaments are superior to the peptidoglycan. A spirochaete ( / ˈspaɪroʊˌkiːt / ) or spirochete is a member of the phylum Spirochaetes ( / ˌspaɪroʊˈkiːtiz / ), which contains distinctive diderm ( double - membrane ) bacteria, most of which have long, helically coiled ( corkscrew - shaped or spiraled, hence the name ) cells. Spirochaetes stain gram - negative and are chemoheterotrophic in nature, with lengths between 3 and 500 μm and diameters around 0.09 to at least 3 μm. Spirochaetes are distinguished from other bacterial phyla by the location of their flagella, sometimes called axial filaments, which run lengthwise between the bacterial inner membrane and outer membrane in periplasmic space. These cause a twisting motion which allows the spirochaete to move about. When reproducing, a spirochaete will undergo asexual transverse binary fission. Most spirochaetes are free - living and anaerobic, but there are numerous exceptions. Spirochaetes bacteria are diverse in their pathogenic capacity, the ecological niches that they inhabit, as well as molecular characteristics including GC content and genome size. Contents 1 Pathogenicity 2 Taxonomy and molecular signatures 3 Phylogeny 4 Taxonomy 5 See also 6 References 7 External links Pathogenicity Many organisms within the Spirochaetes phylum cause prevalent diseases. Pathogenic members of this phylum include the following : Leptospira species, which causes leptospirosis Borrelia burgdorferi, B. garinii, and B. afzelii, which cause Lyme disease Borrelia recurrentis, which causes relapsing fever Treponema pallidum subspecies which cause treponematoses such as syphilis and yaws. Brachyspira pilosicoli and Brachyspira aalborgi, which cause intestinal spirochaetosis Spirochaetes may also cause dementia and may be involved in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer 's disease. Salvarsan, the first partially organic synthetic antimicrobial drug in medical history, was effective against spirochaetes only and was primarily used to cure syphilis. Taxonomy and molecular signatures The class currently consists of 14 validly named genera across 4 orders and 5 families. The orders Brachyspirales, Brevinematales and Leptospirales each contain a single family, Brachyspiraceae, Brevinemataceae and Leptospiraceae, respectively. The Spirochaetales order harbours two families, Spirochaetaceae and Borreliaceae. Molecular markers in the form of conserved signature indels ( CSIs ) and CSPs have been found specific for each of the orders, with the exception of Brevinimetales, that provide a reliable means to demarcate these clades from one another within the diverse phylum. Additional CSIs have been found exclusively shared by each family within the Spirochaetales. These molecular markers are in agreement with the observed phylogenetic tree branching of two monophyletic clades within the Spirochaetales order. CSIs have also been found that further differentiate taxonomic groups within the Borreliaceae family that further delineate evolutionary relationships that are in accordance with physical characteristics such as pathogenicity ( viz. Borrelia emend. Borreliella gen. nov. ). A conserved signature indel has also been found exclusively shared by all Spirochaetes species. This CSI is a 3 amino acid insert in the flagellar basal body rod protein FlgC which is an important part of the unique endoflagellar structure shared by Spirochaetes species. Given that the CSI is exclusively shared by members within this phylum, it has been postulated that it may be related to the characteristic flagellar properties observed among Spirochaetes species. Historically, the all families belonging to the Spirochaetes phylum were assigned to a single order, the Spirochaetales. However, the current taxonomic view is more connotative of accurate evolutionary relationships, where the distribution of conserved signature indels are indicative of shared ancestry within each respective clade for which they are specific. These synapomorphic characteristics justify the phylogenetic divisions and are a means to identify each order / family within the phylum. Phylogeny The phylogeny is based on 16S rRNA - based LTP release 123 by ' The All - Species Living Tree ' Project. Leptospirales Leptospiraceae Turneriella parva ( Hovind - Hougen et al. 1982 ) Levett et al. 2005 Leptonema illini Hovind - Hougen 1983 Leptospira Noguchi 1917 emend. Faine and Stallman 1982 Euspirochaetae Brevinemataceae Brevinema andersonii Defosse et al. 1995 Brachyspiraceae Brachyspira Hovind - Hougen et al. 1982 Spirochaetales Exilispira thermophila Imachi et al. 2008 Spirochaetaceae Spirochaeta Ehrenberg 1835 emend. Pikuta et al. 2009 Treponema Schaudinn 1905 emend Abt et al. 2013 Spirochaeta clade 2 Spirochaeta aurantia ( ex Vinzent 1926 ) Canale - Parola 1980 Borreliaceae Borreliella Adeolu & Gupta 2015 ( Lyme disease Borrelia ) Borrelia Swellengrebel 1907 emend. Adeolu & Gupta 2014 ( relapsing fever Borrelia ) Taxonomy The currently accepted taxonomy is based on the List of Prokaryotic names with Standing in Nomenclature ( LPSN ) and National Center for Biotechnology Information ( NCBI ). Phylum Spirochaetes Garrity & Holt 2001 ( Spirochaetae Cavalier - Smith 2002 ; Spirochaetaeota Oren et al. 2015 ) Class Spirochaetae Cavalier - Smith 2002 ( `` Protozoobacteriales '' ; `` Spirochaetia '' Paster 2011 ) Order Leptospirales Gupta et al. 2014 Family Leptospiraceae Hovind - Hougen 1979 emend. Levett et al. 2005 Genus Leptonema Hovind - Hougen 1983 Genus Leptospira Noguchi 1917 emend. Faine and Stallman 1982 Genus Turneriella Levett et al. 2005 Order Brachyspirales corrig. Gupta et al. 2014 Family Brachyspiraceae Paster 2012 Genus Brachyspira Hovind - Hougen et al. 1982 Order Brevinematales Gupta et al. 2014 Family Brevinemataceae Paster 2012 Genus Brevinema Defosse et al. 1995 Order Spirochaetales Buchanan 1917 emend. Gupta et al. 2013 Genus Exilispira Imachi et al. 2008 Family Borreliaceae Gupta et al. 2014 Genus Borreliella Adeolu & Gupta 2015 ( Borrelia burgdorferi species - group ) ( Lyme disease Borrelia ) Genus Borrelia Swellengrebel 1907 emend. Adeolu & Gupta 2014 ( relapsing fever Borrelia ) Genus Cristispira pectinis ♪ Gross 1910 Family Spirochaetaceae Swellengrebel 1907 Genus ? Clevelandina reticulitermitidis Bermudes et al. 1988 Genus ? Diplocalyx calotermitidis ( ex Gharagozlou 1968 ) Bermudes et al. 1988 Genus ? Hollandina pterotermitidis ( ex To et al. 1978 ) Bermudes et al. 1988 Genus ? Pillotina calotermitidis ( ex Hollande and Gharagozlou 1967 ) Bermudes et al. 1988 Genus ? Spironema culicis ♠ Turk et al. 1999 Genus Spirochaeta Ehrenberg 1835 emend. Pikuta et al. 2009 ( `` Ehrenbergia '' Gieszczykiewiez 1939 non Spreng. ; incl. Sphaerochaeta Ritalahti et al. 2012 emend. Miyazaki et al. 2014 ; Salinispira Ben Hania et al. 2015 ) Genus Treponema Schaudinn 1905 emend Abt et al. 2013 ( `` Spironema '' Vuillemin 1905 non Klebs 1892 ; `` Microspironema '' Stiles & Pfender 1905 ) Notes : Type strain lost or not available ♪ Prokaryotes where no pure ( axenic ) cultures are isolated or available, i.e. not cultivated or can not be sustained in culture for more than a few serial passages ♠ Strains found at the National Center for Biotechnology Information ( NCBI ) but not listed in the List of Prokaryotic names with Standing in Nomenclature ( LSPN ) See also Bacteriology Borrelia Flagellum Lyme disease microbiology Pinta ( disease ) Prokaryote Treponema pallidum Brevinema andersonii Syphilis References Jump up ^ spirochaete - Oxford Dictionaries Jump up ^ Elsevier, Dorland 's Illustrated Medical Dictionary, Elsevier. Jump up ^ Ryan KJ ; Ray CG ( editors ) ( 2004 ). Sherris Medical Microbiology ( 4th ed. ). McGraw Hill. ISBN 0 - 8385 - 8529 - 9. CS1 maint : Extra text : authors list ( link ) Jump up ^ Margulis, L. ; Ashen, J.B. ; Solé, M. ; Guerrero, R. ( 1993 - 08 - 01 ). `` Composite, large spirochetes from microbial mats : spirochete structure review '' ( PDF ). Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 90 ( 15 ) : 6966 -- 6970. doi : 10.1073 / pnas. 90.15. 6966. ISSN 0027 - 8424. PMC 47056. PMID 8346204. ^ Jump up to : Paster BJ ( 2011 ) Phylum XV. Sprochaetes Garrity and Holt. In : Bergey 's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology, pp. 471. Eds D.J. Brenner, N.R. Krieg, G.M. Garrity, and J.T. Staley Springer - : New York. ^ Jump up to : Paster BJ ( 2011 ) Family I. Sprochaetes Swellengrebel 1907, 581AL. In : Bergey 's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology, pp. 473 - 531. Eds D.J. Brenner, N.R. Krieg, G.M. Garrity, and J.T. Staley Springer - : New York. Jump up ^ McBride A, Athanazio D, Reis M, Ko A ( 2005 ). `` Leptospirosis ''. Current Opinion in Infectious Diseases. 18 ( 5 ) : 376 -- 86. doi : 10.1097 / 01. qco. 0000178824.05715. 2c. PMID 16148523. Jump up ^ Schwan T ( 1996 ). `` Ticks and Borrelia : model systems for investigating pathogen - arthropod interactions ''. Infect Agents Dis. 5 ( 3 ) : 167 -- 81. PMID 8805079. Jump up ^ Amat Villegas I, Borobio Aguilar E, Beloqui Perez R, de Llano Varela P, Oquiñena Legaz S, Martínez - Peñuela Virseda JM ( January 2004 ). `` ( Colonic spirochetes : an infrequent cause of adult diarrhea ) ''. Gastroenterol Hepatol ( in Spanish ). 27 ( 1 ) : 21 -- 3. PMID 14718105. Jump up ^ Miklossy, Judith ( 2011 - 08 - 04 ). `` Alzheimer 's disease - a neurospirochetosis. Analysis of the evidence following Koch 's and Hill 's criteria ''. Journal of Neuroinflammation. 8 : 90. doi : 10.1186 / 1742 - 2094 - 8 - 90. ISSN 1742 - 2094. PMC 3171359. PMID 21816039. Jump up ^ Sayers ; et al. `` TherSpirochaetia ''. National Center for Biotechnology Information ( NCBI ) taxonomy database. Retrieved 2016 - 10 - 25. ^ Jump up to : Gupta RS, Mahmood S, Adeolu M ( 2013 ). `` A phylogenomic and molecular signature based approach for characterization of the phylum Spirochaetes and its major clades : proposal for a taxonomic revision of the phylum ''. Front Microbiol. 4 ( 217 ). doi : 10.3389 / fmicb. 2013.00217. PMC 3726837. PMID 23908650. Jump up ^ Oren A, Garrity GM ( 2014 ). `` List of new names and new combinations previously effectively, but not validly, published '' ( PDF ). Int. J. Syst. Evol. Microbiol. 64 : 693 -- 696. doi : 10.1099 / ijs. 0.062521 - 0. Jump up ^ Adeolu M, Gupta RS ( 2014 ). `` A phylogenomic and molecular marker based proposal for the division of the genus Borrelia into two genera : the emended genus Borrelia containing only the members of the relapsing fever Borrelia, and the genus Borreliella gen. nov. containing the members of the Lyme disease Borrelia ( Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex ) ''. Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek. 105 ( 6 ) : 1049 -- 1072. doi : 10.1007 / s10482 - 014 - 0164 - x. PMID 24744012. ^ Jump up to : Macnab RM ( 2003 ). `` How bacteria assemble flagella ''. Annu Rev Microbiol. 57 : 77 -- 100. doi : 10.1146 / annurev. micro. 57.030502. 090832. PMID 12730325. Jump up ^ ' The All - Species Living Tree ' Project. `` 16S rRNA - based LTP release 123 ( full tree ) '' ( PDF ). Silva Comprehensive Ribosomal RNA Database. Retrieved 2013 - 03 - 20. Jump up ^ J.P. Euzéby. `` Spirochaetes ''. List of Prokaryotic names with Standing in Nomenclature ( LPSN ). Retrieved 2013 - 03 - 20. Jump up ^ Sayers ; et al. `` Spirochaetes ''. National Center for Biotechnology Information ( NCBI ) taxonomy database. Retrieved 2013 - 03 - 20. External links Introduction to the Spirochetes University of California Museum of Paleontology ( UCMP ) Prokaryotes : Bacteria classification ( phyla and orders ) Domain Archaea Bacteria Eukaryota ( Supergroup Plant Hacrobia Heterokont Alveolata Rhizaria Excavata Amoebozoa Opisthokonta Animal Fungi ) G - / OM Terra - / Glidobacteria ( BV1 ) Eobacteria Deinococcus -- Thermus Deinococcales Thermales Chloroflexi Anaerolineales Caldilineales Chloroflexales Herpetosiphonales Dehalococcoidales Ktedonobacterales Thermogemmatisporales Thermomicrobiales Sphaerobacterales other glidobacteria Thermodesulfobacteria thermophiles Aquificae Thermotogae Cyanobacteria Proteobacteria ( BV2 ) Alpha Caulobacterales Kiloniellales Kordiimonadales Magnetococcales Parvularculales Rhizobiales Rhodobacterales Rhodospirillales Rickettsiales Sneathiellales Sphingomonadales Beta Burkholderiales Hydrogenophilales Methylophilales Neisseriales Nitrosomonadales Procabacteriales Rhodocyclales Gamma Acidithiobacillales Aeromonadales Alteromonadales Cardiobacteriales Chromatiales Enterobacteriales Legionellales Methylococcales Oceanospirillales Orbales Pasteurellales Pseudomonadales Salinisphaerales Thiotrichales Vibrionales Xanthomonadales Delta Bdellovibrionales Desulfarculales Desulfobacterales Desulfovibrionales Desulfurellales Desulfuromonadales Myxococcales Syntrophobacterales Syntrophorhabdales Epsilon Campylobacterales Nautiliales Zeta Mariprofundales BV4 Spirochaetes Spirochaetes Sphingobacteria ( FCB group ) Fibrobacteres Chlorobi Chlorobiales Ignavibacteriales Bacteroidetes Bacteroidales Cytophagales Flavobacteriales Sphingobacteriales Planctobacteria / ( PVC group ) Chlamydiae Lentisphaerae Lentisphaerales Oligosphaerales Victivallales Planctomycetes Phycisphaerales Planctomycetales Verrucomicrobia Puniceicoccales Opitutales Chthoniobacterales Verrucomicrobiales `` Poribacteria '' Other GN Acidobacteria Acidobacteriales Acanthopleuribacterales Holophagales Solibacterales Armatimonadetes Armatimonadales Chthonomonadales Fimbriimonadales Caldiserica Chrysiogenetes Deferribacteres Dictyoglomi Elusimicrobia Fusobacteria Gemmatimonadetes Nitrospirae Synergistetes G+ / no OM Firmicutes ( BV3 ) Bacilli Bacillales Lactobacillales Clostridia Clostridiales Halanaerobiales Thermoanaerobacteriales Natranaerobiales Erysipelotrichia Erysipelotrichiales Thermolithobacteria Thermolithobacterales Tenericutes / Mollicutes Mycoplasmatales Entomoplasmatales Anaeroplasmatales Acholeplasmatales Haloplasmatales Negativicutes Selenomonadales Actinobacteria ( BV5 ) Actinobacteria Actinomycetales Bifidobacteriales Acidimicrobiia Acidimicrobiales Coriobacteriidae Coriobacteriales Nitriliruptoria Euzebyales Nitriliruptorales Rubrobacteria Gaiellales Rubrobacterales Thermoleophilales Solirubrobacterales Incertae sedis † Archaeosphaeroides † Eobacterium † Leptotrichites Source : Bergey 's Manual ( 2001 -- 2012 ). Alternative views : Wikispecies. Infectious diseases Bacterial diseases : BV4 non-proteobacterial G - ( primarily A00 -- A79, 001 -- 041, 080 -- 109 ) Spirochaete Spirochaetaceae Treponema Treponema pallidum Syphilis / bejel Yaws Treponema carateum ( Pinta ) Treponema denticola Borrelia Borrelia burgdorferi / Borrelia afzelii Lyme disease Erythema chronicum migrans Neuroborreliosis Borrelia recurrentis ( Louse borne relapsing fever ) Borrelia hermsii / Borrelia duttoni / Borrelia parkeri ( Tick borne relapsing fever ) Leptospiraceae Leptospira Leptospira interrogans ( Leptospirosis ) Chlamydiaceae Chlamydophila Chlamydophila psittaci ( Psittacosis ) Chlamydophila pneumoniae Chlamydia Chlamydia trachomatis Chlamydia Lymphogranuloma venereum Trachoma Bacteroidetes Bacteroides fragilis Tannerella forsythia Capnocytophaga canimorsus Porphyromonas gingivalis Prevotella intermedia Fusobacteria Fusobacterium necrophorum ( Lemierre 's syndrome ) Fusobacterium nucleatum Fusobacterium polymorphum Streptobacillus moniliformis ( Rat - bite fever / Haverhill fever ) Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Spirochaete&oldid=811186718 '' Categories : Spirochaetes Bacteria phyla Hidden categories : CS1 maint : Extra text : authors list CS1 Spanish - language sources ( es ) Articles with ' species ' microformats Use dmy dates from January 2011 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Wikispecies Interlingua Lietuvių Русский Simple English Tagalog Edit links This page was last edited on 20 November 2017, at 01 : 44. 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Question: what is the distinguishing feature of spirochete bacteria
Answer: long, helically coiled (corkscrew-shaped or spiraled, hence the name) cells