The name of a genus of spirochaetal microorganisms which consist of slender spirals and which progress by means of bending movements. Treponema pallidum (formerly called Spirochaeta pallida) is the causative organism of SYPHILIS.
n. a genus of anaerobic spirochaete bacteria. All species are parasitic and some cause disease in animals and humans: T. carateum causes *pinta, T. pallidum *syphilis, and T. pertenue *yaws.
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