spirochete

or spi·ro·chaete

[ spahy-ruh-keet ]

noun

1. any of various spiral-shaped motile bacteria of the phylum Spirochaetes, distinguished by twisting flagella that run lengthwise between the bacterium’s inner and outer membranes, and inclusive of the family Spirochaetaceae, noted for certain pathogenic species that cause Lyme disease, syphilis, and other illnesses.

spirochete

/ spī′rə-kēt′ /

1. Any of various bacteria of the order Spirochaetales that are shaped like a spiral, such as Treponema pallidum , the pathogen that causes syphilis.

Other Words From

• spiro·chetal spiro·chetic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of spirochete¹

First recorded in 1875–80; < New Latin spīrochaeta. See spiro- ², chaeta ( def )

Example Sentences

By far the most important of these is the spirillum or spirochete of Obermeier, which has been already carefully described.

From Project Gutenberg