Spirochaetales

RANK: Order

TAXONOMY: cellular organisms -> Bacteria -> Spirochaetes -> Spirochaetia -> Spirochaetales

OVERVIEW:

'Spirochaetes' (also spelled 'spirochetes') belong to a phylum of distinctive diderm (double-membrane) bacteria, most of which have long, helically coiled (corkscrew- shaped) cells. Spirochaetes are chemoheterotrophic in nature, with lengths between 5 and 250 µm and diameters around 0.1–0.6 µm. Spirochaetes are distinguished from other bacterial phyla by the location of their flagella, sometimes called axial filaments, which run lengthwise between the bacterial inner membrane and outer membrane in periplasmic space. These cause a twisting motion which allows the spirochaete to move about. When reproducing, a spirochaete will undergo asexual transverse binary fission. Most spirochaetes are free-living and anaerobic, but there are numerous exceptions.


Microbial Abundance Data: Spirochaetales
Percent of total population with standard deviation [PMID: 22698087]. Percentages > 1% highlighted.
Buccal
Mucosa
Keratinized
Gingiva
Hard
Palate
Throat
Tonsils
Saliva
Stool
0.099 %
(0.300)
0.004 %
(0.013)
0.054 %
(0.111)
0.207 %
(0.635)
0.060 %
(0.133)
0.358 %
(0.745)
0.000 %
(0.004)
DESCENDANTS
METABOLOMICS