treponema

American  

[trep-uh-nee-muh] / ˌtrɛp əˈni mə /

noun

treponemas, plural treponemata plural

1. any of several anaerobic spirochetes of the genus Treponema, certain species of which are parasitic in and pathogenic for humans and warm-blooded animals.

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treponema British  

/ ˌtrɛpəˈnɛmətəs, ˈtrɛpəniːm, ˌtrɛpəˈniːmə /

noun

1. any anaerobic spirochaete bacterium of the genus Treponema , such as T. pallidum which causes syphilis

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• treponemal
  adjective
• treponematous
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• treponemas
  plural
• treponemata
  plural

Etymology

Origin of treponema

1905–10; < New Latin: genus name < Greek trép ( ein ) to turn + -o- -o- + nêma thread

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

treponema treponemas

It may be in some cases possible to demonstrate the treponema pallidum in scrapings taken from the ulcer.

From Bronchoscopy and Esophagoscopy A Manual of Peroral Endoscopy and Laryngeal Surgery by Jackson, Chevalier

The diagnosis of luetic lesions of the esophagus, therefore, depends upon the history, presence of luetic lesions elsewhere, the serologic reaction, therapeutic test, examination of tissue, and the demonstration of the treponema pallidum.

From Bronchoscopy and Esophagoscopy A Manual of Peroral Endoscopy and Laryngeal Surgery by Jackson, Chevalier

Against that grim list, the sole crowd infectious diseases that can be attributed with certainty to pre-Columbian Native American societies were nonsyphilitic treponemas.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond