Leptospira interrogans

Leptospira interrogans
SEM image of L. interrogans
Systematics
Department : Spirochaetes Class : Spirochaetes Order : Spirochaetales Family : Leptospiraceae Genre : Leptospira Type : Leptospira interrogans
Scientific name
Leptospira interrogans
( Stimson 1907) Wenyon 1926

Leptospira interrogans is a bacterium in the genus Leptospira . It is a gram-negative , about 0.1 µm thick bacterium with a helical twist in the middle. The length varies between 6 and 20 µm. The ends are hook-shaped or button-like thickened, making Leptospira interrogans resemble a clothes hanger. An axial contractive element makes L. interrogans mobile.

L. interrogans is relatively difficult to stain with conventional dyes and is mostly examined using dark field microscopy . It can be colored by silver impregnation. It is the most important pathogenic pathogen of the genus (→ leptospiroses ), but morphologically indistinguishable from the other representatives.

On the basis of surface antigens, over 250 serovars can be distinguished, which are classified into 24 serogroups. According to the nomenclature introduced in 1987, serovars can belong to different genospecies. More common representatives are:

Serogroup	Serovars
Australis	L. australis L. bratislava L. jalna
Autumnalis	L. autumnalis
Canicola	L. canicola L. schuefferi
Djasiman	L. djasiman
Flu-typhosa	L. grippotyphosa
Heptomadis	L. heptomadis
Icterohaemorrhagiae	L. copenhageni L. icterohaemorrhagiae L. smithi
Pomona	L. pomona
Pyrogenes	L. pyrogenes L. zanoni
Sejroe	L. hardjo L. saxkoebing L. sejroe L. wolfii
Tarassovi	L. tarassovi

literature

H.-J. Selbitz: Leptospira . In A. Rolle and A. Mayr (eds.): Medical microbiology, infection and epidemic theory . Enke, Stuttgart, 7th edition 2001. ISBN 3-432-84686-X

Individual evidence

1. ↑ E. Kmety and H. Dikken: Classification of the species Leptospira interrogans and history of its serovars . University Press Groningen 1999.