He
.
li
.
co
.
bac
' ter. Gr. n.
helix
a spiral; M.L. masc. n.
bacter
a staff; M.L. masc. n.
Helicobacter
a spiral rod.
Proteobacteria / Epsilonproteobacteria / Campylobacterales / Helicobacteraceae / Helicobacter
Cells may be
curved, spiral, or fusiform rods
, 0.2–1.2 × 1.5–10.0 µm.
Spiral cells may be tightly or loosely wound
depending on the species, and on the age and condition of the culture examined. Cells in old cultures or those exposed to air become coccoid. Ultrastructural studies show that
periplasmic fibers may be observed on the cell surface
of a few taxa and an electrondense glycocalyx‐ or capsule‐like layer has been observed on the cell surface of some species. Nonsporeforming. Gram negative.
Motile with a rapid corkscrew‐ or slower wave‐like motion
due to flagellar activity.
Multiple sheathed flagella are seen in most species
, frequently with a bipolar distribution. Typical cell morphologies of various
Helicobacter
species are shown in Figs. BXII.ε.5 and BXII.ε.6.
The mol
%
G
+
C of the DNA is
: 24–48.
Type species
:
Helicobacter pylori
(Marshall, Royce, Annear, Goodwin, Pearman, Warren, Armstrong 1984) Goodwin, Armstrong, Chilvers, Peters, Collins, Sly, McConnell, Harper 1989a, 403 (
Campylobacter pylori
Marshall, Royce, Annear, Goodwin, Pearman, Warren, Armstrong 1984, 87.)