Table of Contents
What does Treponema pallidum look like?
The shape of T. pallidum is flat and wavy. In order to avoid antibodies attacking, the cell has few proteins exposed on the outer membrane sheath. Its chromosome of about 1000 kilo base pairs is circular with a 52.8% G + C average.
What is Treponema pallidum pertenue disease?
pathology of yaws In yaws. …is caused by a spirochete, Treponema pertenue, that is structurally indistinguishable from T. pallidum, which causes syphilis.
What is the morphology of Treponema?

T. pallidum has a two-layered outer wall, a cytoplasmic membrane proper, cytoplasm and a bunch of fibrils following a different path in different places on the treponeme. The sites of insertion of the fibrils (the basal granules) were investigated; structures similar to mesosomes and nucleoids were found.
What is unique about Treponema pallidum?
Treponema pallidum subsp pallidum, the most invasive of the pathogenic treponemes, produces highly destructive lesions in almost any tissue of the body, including the central nervous system. Treponema carateum is the least invasive and causes only cutaneous disease.
What is the classification of Treponema?
SpirochaetesTreponema / Class

What is the arrangement of Treponema pallidum?
T. pallidum has a spiral shape with a length ranging from 6 to 15 μm and a diameter of ~0.2 μm 11; 13; 14; 15; 16. The protoplasmic cylinder is surrounded by a cytoplasmic membrane, which is enclosed by a loosely associated outer membrane.
What are signs of syphilis and what do it look like?
These syphilis symptoms may come and go for up to 2 years. They include body rashes that last 2 – 6 weeks — often on the palms of your hands and the soles of your feet. There are lots of other symptoms, including mild fever, fatigue, sore throat, hair loss, weight loss, swollen glands, headache, and muscle pains.
What does it mean Treponema?
Definition of treponema : any of a genus (Treponema) of spirochetes that are pathogenic in humans and other warm-blooded animals and include the causative agents of syphilis and yaws.
Is Treponema Gram positive or negative?
Treponema cells are gram-negative, but most of the strains do not take up stain easily by Gram staining or Giemsa staining. Silver impregnation stain and Ryu’s stain are better for the observation of Treponema cells.
Where is Treponema pertenue found?
The causative organism, Treponema pallidum subspecies pertenue, is closely related genetically to T. pallidum subspecies pallidum, which causes syphilis, bejel and pinta. The disease is found primarily in poor communities in warm, humid and tropical forest areas of Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Pacific.
How are syphilis and yaws similar?
Syphilis is usually transmitted sexually and now has a global distribution. Yaws is characteristically an infection acquired during childhood through skin contact in remote regions of Africa, South Asia, and the Western Pacific islands. A close relative of the syphilis and yaws treponemes is T. pallidum subsp.
What is the Gram stain of Treponema pallidum?
Treponema pallidum is a Gram-negative micro-aerophilic bacterium, 6–20 μm long, 0.1–0.2 μm wide and tightly coiled. The treponemes are motile by three flagella (axial filaments) that wrap around the surface of the organism and are covered by the outer membrane which contains lipopolysaccharide.
Is Treponema pallidum Gram positive or negative?
Gram-negative
Treponema pallidum is a Gram-negative micro-aerophilic bacterium, 6–20 μm long, 0.1–0.2 μm wide and tightly coiled. The treponemes are motile by three flagella (axial filaments) that wrap around the surface of the organism and are covered by the outer membrane which contains lipopolysaccharide.
Does syphilis have pus?
There are four stages to syphilis: First, you’ll get a small sore (called a ‘chancre’) that looks infected at the centre. It might seep liquid or pus. It won’t hurt, and it might be in a place where you don’t even notice it, such as your inner thigh.
What is the difference between yaws and syphilis?
Syphilis is usually transmitted sexually and now has a global distribution. Yaws is characteristically an infection acquired during childhood through skin contact in remote regions of Africa, South Asia, and the Western Pacific islands.