spirillum vs spirochete

spirillum vs spirochete

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Over 400 recognized genera of bacteria are known to exist. Bacterial species are listed in Bergey’s Manual of Systematic Bacteriology. The entire kingdom of bacteria, including cyanobacteria, is entitled Prokaryotae. Four divisions of bacteria based on their cell wall characteristics are included in the Prokaryotae kingdom. Not all bacteria are assigned to a division, but all are assigned to one of 33 “sections.”

Spirochetes

have a spiral shape, a flexible cell wall, and motility mechanisms based on structures called axial filaments. Each axial filament is composed of fibrils extending toward each other between two layers of the cell wall.

Spirochetes are very slender and difficult to see under the light microscope. They are cultivated with great difficulty (some cannot be cultivated), and their classification is based on their morphology and pathogenicity. Certain species inhabit water environments, while others are parasites of arthropods (such as ticks and lice) as well as warm‐blooded animals. Spirochetes include Borrelia burgdorferi, the agent of Lyme disease, Treponema pallidum, the cause of syphilis, and Leptospira interrogans, the agent of leptospirosis.

Spirilla

have a spiral shape, a rigid cell wall, and motility mechanisms based on polar flagella. The genera Spirillum, Aquaspirillum, and Azospirillum are widely dispersed among and readily isolated from numerous environments. These organisms are aerobic bacteria wound like helices. Species S. minor is a cause of rat bite fever in humans. The genus Campylobacter contains several pathogenic species, including C. jejuni, which causes campylobacteriosis, an intestinal infection accompanied by diarrhea.

What are Spirochetes?

Spirochetes are spiral-shaped gram-negative, chemoheterotrophic bacteria, about 3 – 500 micrometers in length. They are commonly found in freshwater environments. They are motile bacteria, and they have specialized structures known as axial filaments for locomotion. Each spirochete may contain up to 100 axial filaments where the lowest would be two axial filaments per organism. The significance of the axial filaments is its position. The axial filaments, unlike flagella, run between the inner and the outer membrane of the spirochete. Therefore, the axial filaments arise from the periplasmic surface. Some species of spirochetes contain bundles of fibrils in the cytoplasm, these cytoplasmic fibrils are observed in response to different stress conditions in spirochetes. Most Spirochetes are anaerobic and they reproduce by binary fission, which is an asexual mode of reproduction commonly observed in Bacteria.

Spirochetes are important bacteria when it comes to its involvement in pathogenesis. The host – spirochete relationship has been shown to be harmful as most species are disease-causing. The genera of spirochetes including Spirochaeta, Treponema, Borrelia, and Leptospira are involved in causing deadly diseases.

• Borrelia ssp
  • Borrelia recurrentis – Relapsing fever (transmitted by lice and ticks)
  • Borellia burgdorferi – Lyme disease
• Leptospira ssp – Leptospira

What are the Similarities Between Spirilla and Spirochetes?

• Both Spirilla and Spirochetes groups are Gram-negative bacteria.
• Both Spirilla and Spirochetes organisms can be found in the freshwater environments.

What is the Difference Between Spirilla and Spirochetes?

Summary – Spirilla vs Spirochetes 

Spirilla and Spirochetes are spiral-shaped bacteria that show contrasting features in their motility patterns. Spirilla use bipolar flagella to support their locomotion, whereas Spirochetes use many axial filaments arising from the periplasmic space to support their locomotion. Both are Gram-negative bacteria and they are involved in manifesting diseases. Spirochetes result in more deadly diseases when compared to the species of Spirilla. This is the difference between spirilla and spirochetes.

The main difference between spirilla and Spirochetes is that spirilla have relatively short and rigid cells whereas spirochetes have longer and more flexible cells. Furthermore, the motility mechanisms of spirilla are based on polar flagella while the motility mechanisms of spirochetes are based on axial filaments.

Spirilla and spirochetes are two groups of spiral bacteria that belong to a morphological category of prokaryotes with helical shape cells.

Key Areas Covered

1. What are Spirilla
     – Definition, Characteristics, Importance
2. What are Spirochetes
     – Definition, Characteristics, Importance
3. What are the Similarities Between Spirilla and Spirochetes
     – Outline of Common Features
4. What is the Difference Between Spirilla and Spirochetes
     – Comparison of Key Differences

Key Terms

Cell Wall, Motility, Spiral Bacteria, Spirilla, Spirochetes

 

What are Spirilla

Spirilla are spiral bacteria classified in the genus Spirillum under the family Spirillaceae. The two main characteristic features of spirilla are the presence of a rigid cell wall and the motility mechanism based on polar flagella. Additionally, spirilla are large and elongated cells. 

Figure 1: Spirilla

Furthermore, Spirilla are widespread in a number of environments. Also, they are aerobic bacteria with a helical shape. However, some species of spirilla such as Spirillum minor can cause rat bite fever in humans. Campylobacter, which is another spiral bacterial genus with comma shape bacteria, contains pathogenic species that cause campylobacteriosis, a type of intestinal infection accompanied by diarrhea.

What are Spirochetes

Spirochetes are the spiral bacteria characterized by the presence of a flexible cell wall and axial filaments-based motility mechanisms. Moreover, the axial filaments contain fibrils extending toward each other between two layers of the cell wall. However, spirochetes are difficult to visualize under the light microscope due to their very slender nature. Additionally, they are very difficult to cultivate and stain by Gram-staining. 

Figure 2: Spirochetes

Moreover, some spirochetes live in aquatic environments. Others are parasitic in arthropods and warm-blooded animals. Additionally, they cause diseases such as Lyme disease (by Borrelia burgdorferi) and syphilis (by Treponema pallidum). Also, Leptospira interrogansserves as an agent of leptospirosis.

Similarities Between Spirilla and Spirochetes

• Spirilla and Spirochetes are two groups of spiral bacteria.
• Furthermore, they are classified based on the number of twists per cell thickness, flexibility, and motility.
• Also, both types of bacteria can be pathogenic.

Difference Between Spirilla and Spirochetes

Definition

Spirilla refer to a bacteria with a rigid, spiral structure found in stagnant water and sometimes causing disease, while spirochetes refer to a flexible, spirally twisted bacteria especially, one that causes syphilis. Thus, this is the main difference between spirilla and spirochetes.

Classification

Moreover, there is a difference between spirilla and spirochetes in their classifications too. The spirilla is a genus while spirochetes are a phylum.

Texture

The spirilla are rigid while spirochetes are flexible. 

Type of Flagella

Also, another difference between spirilla and spirochetes is that while Spirilla have external flagella, spirochetes have internal flagella.

Gram Staining

Gram staining is one other difference between spirilla and spirochetes. Spirilla are Gram-negative bacteria while spirochetes are difficult to Gram stain.

Size

Moreover, spirilla are large, 1.4 to 1.7 μm in diameter and up to 60 μm in length, while spirochetes are giants, 0.2-0.3 μm in diameter and 20-30 μm in length (Borrelia).

Cellular Respiration

Furthermore, Spirilla are aerobic bacteria while spirochetes are obligate or facultative anaerobes. Hence, this is another difference between spirilla and spirochetes.

Diseases

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In addition, Spirilla cause rat bite fever in humans and campylobacteriosis while spirochetes cause Lyme disease and syphilis.

Other Microorganisms

Five cases of IE due to Spirillum minor, a spirochete, have been reported.¹⁷⁹ This organism is widely distributed in nature, especially in fresh or salt water with organic debris. S. minor is the etiologic agent of “rat-bite fever” (sodoku), but rodent to man transmission has not documented in the cases of endocarditis.

IE due to Coxiella burnetii (Q fever) is well documented.¹⁸⁰ Risk factors may include exposure to cats, cattle, or rabbits, as well as a previous valvulopathy or pregnancy. The aortic valve is involved in more than 80% of cases. Vegetations are small or absent.¹⁸¹ The diagnosis is best made serologically; a positive titer of antibody to the phase I antigen as measured by complement fixation or enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay is indicative of chronic infection, whereas a fourfold rise in the titer of antibody to the phase II antigen is associated with active current infection.

Unusual Causes of Dysentery

Spirillar or spirochetal dysentery has been reported to occur in southern France and has been attributed toSpirillum spp. Although severe mucoid diarrhea or dysentery has been associated with intestinal spirochetes, their frequency and role in causing enteric disease are unclear. A DNA probe for the 16S ribosomal RNA of the agent of swine dysentery,Treponema hyodysenteriae, has been developed and may open new approaches to the recognition of similar infections in humans.¹⁴⁷