Scanning electron micrograph of the spirochete Treponema pallidum attached to testicular cell membranes. ASM/Science Source/Photo Researchers
In bacteria: Diversity of structure of bacteria
…in length; and the corkscrew-shaped Treponema pallidum, which is the causative agent of syphilis, averaging only 0.1 to 0.2 μm in diameter but 6 to 15 μm in length. The cyanobacterium Synechococcus averages about 0.5 to 1.6 μm in diameter. Some bacteria are relatively large, such as Azotobacter, which has…
invasiveness
In human disease: Invasiveness and virulence
…bacterium that causes syphilis (Treponema pallidum) has a high degree of invasiveness. It is one of the rare biotic agents that are capable of penetrating intact skin and mucosal linings of the body.
spirochete
In spirochete
…the agents of syphilis (T. pallidum pallidum) and yaws (T. pallidum pertenue). Borrelia includes several species transmitted by lice and ticks and causing relapsing fever (B. recurrentis and others) and Lyme disease (B. burgdorferi) in humans. Spirochaeta
pathology of
In sexually transmitted disease: Syphilis and gonorrhea
…is caused by the bacterium Treponema pallidum. Syphilis was first widely reported by European writers in the 16th century, and some medical historians assume that it was imported into Europe by explorers returning from the New World. Other authorities believe that syphilis is of ancient origin and may at one…
In syphilis test
…treponemal antibody—the antibody that attacks T. pallidum, the spirochete that causes syphilis—in the blood. In most cases, the diagnosis of syphilis is performed using both a nontreponemal and a treponemal test.
In syphilis
…caused by the spirochete bacterium Treponema pallidum. Syphilis is usually a sexually transmitted disease, but it is occasionally acquired by direct nonsexual contact with an infected person, and it can also be acquired by an unborn fetus through infection in the mother. A related group of infections, collectively known as…
In human sexual behaviour: Common sexually transmitted organisms
…the cervix in women, and Treponema pallidum, which is responsible for syphilis. The parasite Chlamydia trachomatis causes a variety of disorders—in women, urethritis, cervicitis, and salpingitis (inflammation of the ureter, cervix, and fallopian tubes, respectively) and, in men, nongonococcal urethritis. Sexually transmitted viral agents include the human papillomavirus, which causes…
tabes dorsalis
In tabes dorsalis
Elimination of the causative organism, Treponema pallidum, with penicillin may relieve pain but does not reverse nervous degeneration. Therapy otherwise involves support of diminished functions and prevention of further deterioration.
Dinosaur, the common name given to a group of reptiles, often very large, that first appeared roughly…
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Bird, (class Aves), any of the more than 10,400 living species unique in having feathers, the major characteristic…