1052 



MANUAL OF DETERMINATIVE BACTERIOLOGY 



180; Ehrenhergia Gieszczykiewicz, Bull. Acad. Polonaise d. Sci. et Lettres, CI. Sci. 

 Math, et Nat., S^r. B, 1939, 24.) 



Non-parasitic, with flexible, undulating body and with or without flagelliform 

 tapering ends. Protoplast wound spirally around a well-defined axial filament. No 

 obvious periplast membrane and no cross-striations. Motility by a creeping motion. 

 Primary spiral permanent. Free-living in fresh or sea water slime, especially in the 

 presence of H^S. Common in sewage and foul waters. 



The type species is Spirochaela plicatilis Ehrenberg. 



Key to the species of genus Spirochaeta. 

 I. Large spirals with rounded ends. 



II. Smaller spirals with pointed ends. 



1. Spirochaeta plicatilis. 



2. Spirochaeta marina. 



3. Spirochaeta curystrepta. 



4. Spirochaeta steiiostrepta. 



5. Spirochaeta daxensis. 



1. Spirochaeta plicatilis Ehrenberg. 

 (Ehrenberg, Die Infusionstierchen, 1838, 

 83; Spirillum plicatile Dujardin, Infus., 

 1, 1841, 225; Spirulina plicatilis Cohn, 

 Nova Acta Acad. Caes. Leop. Carol., 2.^, 

 I, 1853, 125; Spirochaete plicatilis Cohn, 

 Beitr. z. Biol. d. Pflanz., 1, Heft 2, 1872, 

 180; Spirillum portae Mantegazza, Giorn. 

 1st. Lomb., 3, p. 487, according to DeToni 

 and Trevisan, in Saccardo, Sylloge Fungo- 

 rum, 8, 1889, 1006; Spirochaeta plicatilis 

 plicatilis Zuelzer, Arch. f. Protistenk., 

 24, 1912, 17; Ehreribergia plicatilis Giesz- 

 czykiewicz, Bull. Acad. Polonaise d. Sci. 

 et Lettres, CI. Sci. Math, et Nat., Ser. B, 

 1939,24.) From Latin, folded. 



Cylindrical : 0.5 to 0.75 by 100 to 500 

 microns, with blunt ends. 



Spiral amplitude : 2.0 microns, regular. 

 Spiral depth: 1.5 microns, regular. 

 Waves, several, large, inconstant, ir- 

 regular. 



Axial filament distinct in stained speci- 

 mens, consisting of chitin or cutin-like 

 substance. Flexible, elastic. 



Division transverse. 



Stains violet by Giemsa's stain and gray 

 by iron-hemotoxylin. 



Cytoplasmic spirals stain with eosin, 

 rubin, etc. Contain volutin granules. 



Trypsin digestion : Axial filament re- 

 sistant. 



Bile salts (10 per cent) : Becomes shad- 

 owy, pale, but is not dissolved. 



Saponin (10 per cent) : Lives 30 min- 

 utes. Later becomes shadowy, but is not 

 dissolved. 



Grows best under low oxygen tension. 



Optimum temperature 20° to 25°C. 



Habitat : Free-living in fresh or salt 

 water. 



2. Spirochaeta marina Zuelzer. (Spi- 

 rochaeta plicatilis marina Zuelzer, Arch. 

 f. Protistenk., ;24, 1912, 17; Zuelzer, ibid., 

 51 . ) From Latin, of the sea. 



Probably a subspecies or variant of 

 Spirochaeta plicatilis. 



Cylindrical, 0.5 by 100 to 200 microns 

 with blunt ends. 



Axial filament present. Flexible, 

 elastic. 



Division transverse. 



Contains smaller and more irregularly 

 distributed volutin granules than Spiro- 

 chaeta plicatilis. Cj'toplasmic spirals 

 stain. 



Grows best at low oxygen tension. 



Optimum temperature 20°C. 



Habitat : Sea water. 



3. Spirochaeta eurystrepta Zuelzer. 

 {Spirochaeta plicatilis eurystrepta Zuel- 

 zer, Arch. f. Protistenk., 24, 1912, 17; 



