| Species/Subspecies: | Treponema pallidum subsp. pallidum | ||||||||
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| Categories: | Motile; primarily of interest in human medicin | ||||||||
| Etymology: | Genus name: A turning thread Species epithet: Pale, pallid (referrs to the week Gram-staining) Subspecies epithet: see Species epithet | ||||||||
| Significance: | T. pallidum subsp. pallidum is globally a very important human pathogen. [Very important] |
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| Taxonomy: | Class Spirochaetia Order Spirochaetales Family Treponemataceae Genus Treponema |
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| Type Strain: | Not defined | ||||||||
| Macromorphology (smell): | Cannot be cultivated contiuously in articial media or cell cultures. Is, therfore, propagated intratesicularly in rabbits. | ||||||||
| Micromorphology: | Tightly coiled (0.1-0.18 x 6-20 µm). Has 2-4 periplasmic flagella at each end of the cell. | ||||||||
| Gram +/Gram -: | G- | ||||||||
| Metabolism: | Microaerophilic | ||||||||
| Catalase/Oxidase: | |||||||||
| Spec. Char.: | Generation time: 24-30 h. | ||||||||
| Disease: | Syphilis, which is a sexually transmitted disease. |
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| Hosts: | Human | ||||||||
| Clinical Picture: | |||||||||
| Genome Sequence: |
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| 16S rRNA Seq.: |
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| Taxonomy/phylogeny:
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About 30 different species have been described within the genus Treponema. T. pallidum consists of two additional subspecies: pertenue and endemicum, which both are human patogens. Some researchers regard all these subspecies as separate species, although they are very closely related from a phylogenetic point of view. See the phylogenetic tree (Fig. 100:1). T. paraluiscuniculi is very closely related to T. pallidum. | ||||||||
| Legislation: | Syphilis is classified in Sweden as a dangerous disease under the Communicable Diseases Act and shall be notified to the County Medical Officer in the County Council and to the Public Health Agency of Sweden. | ||||||||
| Updated: | 2023-03-08 |