Treponema is a genus of spiral-shaped bacteria. The major treponeme species of human pathogens is Treponema pallidum, whose subspecies are responsible for diseases such as syphilis, bejel, and yaws.
Phylogeny
The currently accepted taxonomy is based on the List of Prokaryotic names with Standing in Nomenclature (LPSN)
and National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI).
Pathogenicity across species
Only some species of Treponema are pathogenic in humans.
Treponema carateum is the cause of pinta
which occurs primarily in Central and South America.
Treponema paraluiscuniculi is associated with syphilis in
but is not infectious in humans.
Treponema succinifaciens has been found in the gut microbiome of traditional rural human populations.
subspecies
endemicum and
T. p. ssp
pertenue are only moderately invasive in humans (as opposed to
T. pallidum pallidum which is highly invasive).
Unassigned Treponema species:
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" Ca. T. caballi" Gilroy et al. 2022
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T. calligyrum Noguchi 1913
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T. carateum Brumpt 1939 (pinta-causing Treponema)
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" Ca. T. equi" Gilroy et al. 2022 non (Novy & Napp 1906) Noguchi 1928
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" Ca. T. equifaecale" Gilroy et al. 2022
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" Ca. T. intracellulare" Ohkuma et al. 2015 corrig. Oren et al. 2020
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" T. legeri" (Duboscq & Lebailly 1912) Zuelzer 1925
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" T. macrodentium" Noguchi 1912
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" Ca. T. merdequi" Gilroy et al. 2022
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T. paraluisleporis Lumeij et al. 1994
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T. pertenue (Castellani 1905) Castellani & Chalmers 1910
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T. refringens (Schaudinn and Hofmann 1905) Castellani and Chalmers
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" Ca. T. scatequi" Gilroy et al. 2022
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" T. scoliodonta" (Hoffmann 1920) Noguchi 1928 ex Smibert 1984
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" T. stenella" Balik et al. 2023
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" Ca. T. suis" Molbak et al. 2006 non Kujumgiev & Spassova 1967
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" Ca. T. teratonymphae" Noda et al. 2018
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" T. trimerodonta" (Hoffmann 1920) Prévot 1940
The species Treponema hyodysenteriae and Treponema innocens have been reclassified into Brachyspira hyodysenteriae and Brachyspira innocens.
See also
-
List of bacteria genera
-
List of bacterial orders
