Treponema pallidum
Overview
Treponema pallidum is a species of spirochaete
bacterium with subspecies that cause treponema
l diseases such as syphilis
, bejel
, pinta
and yaws
. The treponemes have a cytoplasmic and outer membrane. They are not seen on a Gram stained
smear because the organism is too thin to be observed under a light microscope.
There are at least four known subspecies
:
Spirochaete
Spirochaetes belong to a phylum of distinctive Gram-negative bacteria, which have long, helically coiled cells...
bacterium with subspecies that cause treponema
Treponema
Treponema is a bacterial genus. The major species is Treponema pallidum, whose subspecies are responsible for diseases such as syphilis and yaws.The species Treponema hyodysenteriae and Treponema innocens have been reclassified into Serpula....
l diseases such as syphilis
Syphilis
Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the spirochete bacterium Treponema pallidum subspecies pallidum. The primary route of transmission is through sexual contact; however, it may also be transmitted from mother to fetus during pregnancy or at birth, resulting in congenital syphilis...
, bejel
Bejel
Bejel, or endemic syphilis, is a chronic skin and tissue disease caused by infection by a subspecies of the spirochete Treponema pallidum....
, pinta
Pinta (disease)
Pinta is a human skin disease endemic to Mexico, Central America, and South America. It is caused by infection with a spirochete, Treponema pallidum carateum, which is morphologically and serologically indistinguishable from the organism that causes syphilis.-Presentation:Pinta is thought to be...
and yaws
Yaws
Yaws is a tropical infection of the skin, bones and joints caused by the spirochete bacterium Treponema pallidum pertenue...
. The treponemes have a cytoplasmic and outer membrane. They are not seen on a Gram stained
Gram staining
Gram staining is a method of differentiating bacterial species into two large groups ....
smear because the organism is too thin to be observed under a light microscope.
There are at least four known subspecies
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
:
- Treponema pallidum pallidum, which causes syphilis
- T.
Unanswered Questions
