Library · Microorganism
Treponema pallidum
Make it clearer
Treponema pallidum is the bacterium that causes syphilis. These are not two names for the same thing: Treponema pallidum is the microbe, while syphilis is the disease it produces in the body.
The bacterium is a very thin, coiled spirochete. Picture a flexible corkscrew with motors hidden between its layers. Those internal flagella make it rotate, bend, and move forward. Its shape and motion help explain how it travels, but they do not describe every stage of syphilis.
In brief
Treponema pallidum is a spirochete bacterium that causes syphilis. The microorganism is the cause, while syphilis is the resulting systemic disease; the bacterium and the disease are related concepts, not interchangeable names.
Its body is extremely thin and helical, with flagella inside the space surrounding the cell cylinder. This architecture produces rotation and corkscrew-like bending, movements that help the bacterium travel through tissues.
Sources (2)
- Centers for Disease Control and PreventionSyphilis - STI Treatment Guidelines
- National Center for Biotechnology InformationTreponema
This page explains the topic in general terms; it does not tell anyone what treatment to follow.
Updated