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spirochete

A microscopic bacterial organism, a spirochete apperars worm-like, spiral-shaped, and wiggles vigorously when viewed under a microscope. Treponema pallidum, the cause of syphilis, is a particularly well-known member of the spirochaeta family. The term spirochete is an odd hybrid of greek and latin roots, the latin spira for coil and the greek chaite for long flowing hair, formed because the spirochete looked like a coil of hair.