Treponema primitia

Classification

Kingdom: Bacteria

Phylum: Spirochaetes

Class: Spirochaetia

Order: Spirochaetales

Family: Spirochaetaceae

Genus: Treponema

Species: Treponema primitia

Description and Significance

Treponema primitia is a microorganism that lives in the hindgut of the termite Zootermopsis angusticolis and synthesizes acetate, the primary source of energy of their insect host, from the H2 and CO2 generated by protozoa during the fermentation of wood polysaccharides. (3)

Genomic Information

The genome of T. primitia has 3523 protein encoding genes across a genome of 4.1 megabase pairs. (1)

Metabolism

T. primitia, as an acetogen, produces acetate.

Energy

Treponema primitia is an anaerobic organism with the ability to survive for only a short period of time in contact with the outside atmosphere.

References

(1) Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes. Treponema primitia. LINK: http://www.kegg.jp/kegg-bin/show_organism?org=T01507

(2) Leadbetter, J., Schmidt, T., Graber, J., Breznak, J. "Acetogenesis from H-2 plus CO2 by spirochetes from termite guts." Science , 1999, DOI:10.1126/science.283.5402.686

(3) Murphy, G. E., Matson, E. G., Leadbetter, J. R., Berg, H. C., Jensen, G. J. "Novel ultrastructures of treponema primitia and their implications for motility." Molecular Microbiology, 2008, 67(6), 1184–1195, DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.2008.06120.x.

(4)