Spirillum | Genus Of Bacteria - Encyclopedia Britannica

Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos Spirillum Introduction References & Edit History Related Topics Contents Science Biology Archaea & Bacteria Spirillum genus of bacteria Ask the Chatbot a Question More Actions Print Cite verifiedCite While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Select Citation Style MLA APA Chicago Manual of Style Copy Citation Share Share Share to social media Facebook X URL https://www.britannica.com/science/Spirillum-genus-of-bacteria Feedback External Websites Feedback Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Feedback Type Select a type (Required) Factual Correction Spelling/Grammar Correction Link Correction Additional Information Other Your Feedback Submit Feedback Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites

• American Society for Microbiology - Biology of the Chemoheterotrophic Spirilla

Ask the Chatbot a Question Written and fact-checked by Britannica Editors Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Britannica Editors History Table of Contents Table of Contents Ask the Chatbot

Spirillum, genus of spiral-shaped bacteria of the family Spirillaceae, aquatic except for one species (S. minus) that causes a type of rat-bite fever in man. The term spirillum is used generally for any of the corkscrew-like species.

Spirillum is microbiologically characterized as a gram-negative, motile helical cell with tufts of whiplike flagella at each end. The helix of the largest spirillum, S. volutans, is 5 to 8 μm (micrometres; 1 μm = 10-6 metre) across by 60 μm long.

S. minus, found in the blood of apparently healthy mice and rats, can be transmitted to other rodents and to monkeys and man.

Related Topics: nitrogen-fixing bacteria Spirillum minus (Show more) See all related content

The genera Aquaspirillum and Oceanospirillum have been proposed for the free-living aquatic forms.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Chelsey Parrott-Sheffer.