Spirochaete
（重定向自Spirochaetal）
![](/Images/godic/202502/12/20100905_211652_Spirochetes5357.jpg")
![](/Images/godic/202502/12/Treponema_pallidum_015357.png")
![Cross section of a spirochaete cell](/Images/godic/202502/12/Spirochete_Cross_Section5357.png")
Spirochaetes English pronunciation:/ˈspʌɪrə(ʊ)kiːt/ (also spelled spirochetes) belong to a phylum of distinctive diderm (double-membrane) bacteria, most of which have long, helically coiled (corkscrew-shaped or spiraled, hence the name) cells. Spirochaetes are chemoheterotrophic in nature, with lengths between 3 and 500 µm and diameters around 0.09 to at least 3 µm.