Spiral bacteria

Spiral bacteria form the third major morphological category of prokaryotes, along with the rod-shaped bacilli and spherical cocci. Spiral bacteria can be sub-classified based on the number of twists per cell, cell thickness, cell flexibility, and motility.

Spirillum

Spirillum (plural spirilla) refers to rigid spiral bacteria that are Gram-negative and frequently amphitrichous or lophotrichous. Examples include:

• Members of the genus Spirillum.
• Campylobacter jejuni, a foodborne pathogen that causes campylobacteriosis.
• Helicobacter pylori, a cause of peptic ulcers that has been implicated in gastric cancer.
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Spirochete





Spirochete (plural spirochetes) refers to very thin, elongate, flexible, spiral bacteria that are motile via endoflagella. Owing to their morphological properties, spirochetes are difficult to Gram-stain but may be visualized using dark field microscopy or Warthinâ€"Starry stain. Examples include:

• Members of the family Spirochaetes.
• Leptospira species, which cause leptospirosis.
• Borrelia burgdorferi, a tick-borne bacterium that causes Lyme disease.
• Treponema pallidum, subspecies of which cause treponematoses.

Vibrio





Vibrio (plural vibrios) refers to Gram-negative, comma-shaped rods with a partial twist. One notable example includes:

• Vibrio cholerae, a marine bacterium that causes cholera.

References






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