Treponema palidum
The definitions used in this glossary of terminology either have been provided by the authors of the articles, or have been extracted wholly or in part, or paraphrased from the following sources: The American Medical Association Encyclopedia of Medicine, Charles B. Clayman, MD, Medical Editor, Random House, New York, 1989; Biotechnology from A to Z, 2d Edition, William Bains, Oxford University Press, New York, New York, 2002; A Dictionary of Genetics, 6th Edition, Robert C. King and William D. Stansfield, Oxford University Press, New York, New York, 2002; Dorland's Illustrated Medical Dictionary, 29th and 30th Editions, W. B. Saunders Company, Philadelphia, 2000, 2003; Genes VII, Benjamin Lewin, Oxford University Press, New York, New York, 2000; The Gale Encyclopedia of Genetic Disorders, Volumes I and II, Stacey L. Blachford, Ed., Thomson Learning, New York, New York, 2002; The Merriam-Webster Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, Inc., Springfield, Massachusetts, 1997; Molecular Biology of the Cell, 3rd Edition, Bruce Alberts, et al., Garland Publishing, 1994; The Random House Dictionary of the English Language, Unabridged Edition, 1966; Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary, 1991.
DEFINITION:
- Treponema palidum
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Treponema is a genus of bacteria of the family Spirochaetaceae, order Spirochaetales, consisting of gram-negative, microaerophilic, spiral microorganisms that exhibit motility with a flexing, bending, snapping motion and divide by transverse fission. The outer surfaces have polar flagella (axial filaments) that wind around the organism. They are found in the oral, intestinal, and genital mucosa. Pathogenic species, causing syphilis, yaws, and pinta, have not been cultured in vitro.
Treponema palidum is the causitive agent of venereal, nonvenereal, and co-genital syphilis in humans.