Spirochete is a Gram-negative bacteria that is mostly anaerobic but occasionally aerobic too. They are disease-causing bacteria which cause lyme disease, syphilis, etc. Some act as symbionts within the stomach of other animals. These are motile bacteria and are 3 to 500 μm long.

Spirochetes are named so because of their structure and appearance; they are long, thin and helically coiled. Spirochetes have a spiraling corkscrew shape and have endocellular flagella which helps it with the movement. These flagella are tightly coiled around the corkscrew shape of the bacteria. The spirochete moves ahead in a twisting movement with the help of flagella.

An exception to the helical shape of Spirochetes is the Borrelia burgdorferi, which appears as a flat wave. Sometimes, the Spirochete flagella are called endoflagella. They are called so because they appear on the surface, wrapping around the protoplasmic cell cylinder. Examples include Spirochaeta, Treponema, Borrelia, and Leptospira.

Related Links:

• Morphology, Different Shapes of Bacterial Cells
• Briefly explain four types of bacteria on the basis of their shape

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