Bacterial Phylum Spirochaetes

Spirochetes are Gram-negative, coiled bacteria classified in the phylum Spirochaetes.

Endoflagella in spirochetes produce corkscrew-like motion, enabling movement through viscous materials or tissues.

The Spirochaeta genus includes anaerobic and facultatively aerobic spirochetes that are free-living in freshwater, sediment, and oceans.

Notable species include Spirochaeta plicatilis from sulfidic freshwater and marine environments.

Cristispira is a genus of spirochetes that are found in the crystalline style of many bivalve mollusks like clams, mussels, and oysters.

The genus Treponema includes anaerobic or microaerophilic spirochetes that are commensals or pathogens of humans and animals, such as Treponema denticola, common in the human oral cavity.

Many species in the genus Borrelia are pathogenic. Borrelia burgdorferi, for example, causes Lyme disease, which is transmitted by ticks.

The genera Leptospira and Leptonema are strictly aerobic spirochetes that oxidize long-chain fatty acids, like oleic acid, from their host's tissues or the environment to support their growth. Leptospira interrogans is parasitic in humans and causes leptospirosis.