Treponema

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.

Treponema
Treponema pallidum spirochaetes
Scientific classification
Domain:	Bacteria
Kingdom:	Pseudomonadati
Phylum:	Spirochaetota
Class:	Spirochaetia
Order:	Spirochaetales
Family:	Treponemataceae
Genus:	Treponema Schaudinn 1905 emend. Abt, Göker & Klenk 2013
Type species
Treponema pallidum (Schaudinn & Hoffmann 1905) Schaudinn 1905
Species[1]
See text
Synonyms
"Spironema" Vuillemin 1905 non Klebs 1892 non Leger & Hesse 1922 non Rafinesque 1838 non Hochst. 1842 non Lindley 1840 non Meek 1864 "Microspironema" Stiles & Pfender 1905

Phylogeny

The currently accepted taxonomy is based on the List of Prokaryotic names with Standing in Nomenclature (LPSN)^[2] and National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI).^[1]

Pathogenicity across species

Only some species of Treponema are pathogenic in humans. Treponema carateum is the cause of pinta^[3] which occurs primarily in Central and South America. Treponema paraluiscuniculi is associated with syphilis in rabbits^[4] but is not infectious in humans. Treponema succinifaciens has been found in the gut microbiome of traditional rural human populations.^[5] Treponema pallidum subspecies endemicum and T. p. ssp pertenue are only moderately invasive in humans (as opposed to T. pallidum pallidum which is highly invasive).^[6]

16S rRNA based LTP_10_2024[7][8][9]

120 marker proteins based GTDB 09-RS220[10][11][12]

Treponemataceae Gracilinema caldarium (Pohlschröder, Leschine & Canale-Parola 1995) Brune et al. 2022 Zuelzera stenostrepta (Zuelzer 1912) Brune et al. 2022 Breznakiella homolactica Song et al. 2022 Treponema primitia Graber, Leadbetter & Breznak 2004 Helmutkoenigia isoptericolens (Dröge et al. 2008) Brune et al. 2022 Leadbettera azotonutricia (Graber et al. 2004) Brune et al. 2022 Brucepastera parasyntrophica Song et al. 2023 Teretinema zuelzerae (Canale-Parola 1980) Song et al. 2023 Treponema T. medium Umemoto et al. 1997 T. phagedenis (Noguchi 1912) Brumpt 1922 ex Kuhnert et al. 2020 T. pedis Evans et al. 2009 T. denticola (Flügge 1886) Brumpt 1925 ex Chan et al. 1993 T. putidum Wyss et al. 2004 s.s. Treponema T. brennaborense Schrank et al. 1999 T. lecithinolyticum Wyss et al. 1999 T. maltophilum Wyss et al. 1996 T. ruminis Newbrook et al. 2017 T. saccharophilum Paster & Canale-Parola 1986 T. rectale Staton et al. 2017 T. peruense Belkhou et al. 2021 T. succinifaciens Cwyk and Canale-Parola 1981 T. berlinense Nordhoff et al. 2005 T. pectinovorum Smibert & Burmeister 1983 T. bryantii Stanton & Canale-Parola 1980 T. porcinum Nordhoff et al. 2005 T. amylovorum Wyss et al. 1997 T. parvum Wyss et al. 2001 non Dobell 1912 T. socranskii T. s. paredis Smibert, Johnson & Ranney 1984 T. s. buccale Smibert, Johnson & Ranney 1984 T. s. socranskii Smibert, Johnson & Ranney 1984 species‑group 2

Breznakiellaceae Gracilinema caldarium Breznakiella homolactica Leadbettera azotonutricia Treponema primitia Treponemataceae Brucepastera parasyntrophica Teretinema zuelzerae "Ca. Avitreponema avistercoris" Gilroy et al. 2021 Treponema T. pedis T. denticola T. putidum T. medium "T. vincentii" (Blanchard 1906) Brumpt 1922 ex Smibert 1984 T. pallidum (Schaudinn & Hoffmann 1905) Schaudinn 1905 [incl. Treponema paraluiscuniculi (Jacobsthal 1920) Smibert 1974] T. phagedenis s.s. "Ca. Gallitreponema excrementavium" Gilroy et al. 2021 Treponema "Ca. Treponema faecavium" Gilroy et al. 2021 Treponema brennaborense "Ca. Treponema excrementipullorum" Gilroy et al. 2021 Treponema lecithinolyticum Treponema maltophilum Treponema parvum Treponema bryantii Treponema porcinum Treponema socranskii Treponema socranskii buccale Treponema socranskii paredis Treponema rectale Treponema peruense T. succinifaciens Treponema berlinense Treponema pectinovorum Treponema ruminis Treponema saccharophilum "Treponema zioleckii" Piknova et al. 2008 species‑group 2 s.s.

Unassigned Treponema species:

• "Ca. T. caballi" Gilroy et al. 2022
• T. calligyrum Noguchi 1913
• T. carateum Brumpt 1939 (pinta-causing Treponema)
• "Ca. T. equi" Gilroy et al. 2022 non (Novy & Napp 1906) Noguchi 1928
• "Ca. T. equifaecale" Gilroy et al. 2022
• "Ca. T. intracellulare" Ohkuma et al. 2015 corrig. Oren et al. 2020
• "T. legeri" (Duboscq & Lebailly 1912) Zuelzer 1925
• "T. macrodentium" Noguchi 1912
• "Ca. T. merdequi" Gilroy et al. 2022
• T. paraluisleporis Lumeij et al. 1994
• T. pertenue (Castellani 1905) Castellani & Chalmers 1910
• T. refringens (Schaudinn and Hofmann 1905) Castellani and Chalmers
• "Ca. T. scatequi" Gilroy et al. 2022
• "T. scoliodonta" (Hoffmann 1920) Noguchi 1928 ex Smibert 1984
• "T. stenella" Balik et al. 2023
• "Ca. T. suis" Molbak et al. 2006 non Kujumgiev & Spassova 1967
• "Ca. T. teratonymphae" Noda et al. 2018
• "T. trimerodonta" (Hoffmann 1920) Prévot 1940

The species Treponema hyodysenteriae and Treponema innocens have been reclassified into Brachyspira hyodysenteriae and Brachyspira innocens.^[13]

See also

• List of bacteria genera
• List of bacterial orders