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Showing results for leptospira. Search instead for leptosins.

leptospira

American  
[lep-tuh-spahy-ruh] / ˌlɛp təˈspaɪ rə /

noun

Bacteriology.
leptospirae, plural leptospiras plural
  1. any of several spirally shaped, aerobic bacteria of the genus Leptospira, certain species of which are pathogenic for human beings.


Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns

Etymology

Origin of leptospira

< New Latin (1917), equivalent to lepto- lepto- + Latin spīra coil; see spire 2

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

For unknown reasons, it’s the only animal whose kidney can sustain continuous leptospira infections.

From Slate Nov. 20, 2012

A robust immune response can actually be detrimental because the more leptospira get blown to smithereens, the more bacteria bits are floating about to activate the immune system.

From Slate Nov. 20, 2012

Although free-living, nonpathogenic bacteria from the same family as leptospira survive in Cape Cod and likely can outlast a New England winter, it’s not the ideal condition for the deadly forms of lepto.

From Slate Nov. 20, 2012

According to the hypothesis, infected ship rats landed in the New World and excreted leptospira, infecting raccoons, mink, and muskrats whose urine further contaminated any standing fresh water.

From Slate Nov. 20, 2012

Subsequently the arguments were substantiated by Drs. Sellard and Theiler who proved that Noguchi's leptospira gave the same reactions as the germ of Weil's Disease.

From Time Magazine Archive

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