Taxonomic Studies on the Spirochetes : Part II. Main Subject, Particularly on the Solution of Three Problems and Conclusion

A bibliographical study was made on the taxonomy of the Spirochetes. Three main problems were discussed as follows : 1) A place for the Spirochetes in the world of microbes, whether they belong in the protozoa or bacteria, was discussed. The author's opinion was that they belong in the latter. 2) Differentiation between the Spirochetes and the Spirilla was also discussed. Two important points of differences could be noticed in the structural characteristics. Namely, the former possesses the axial flagella and the latter the terminal flagella. Concering the cell membrane, the former has an in sufficient one called as the wall membrane complex, and the latter has a complete one, same as in the Gram-negative bacteria. 3) The classification of the Spirochetes was also discussed, and new idea on this matter was proposed. From these discussions, a newer definition of the Spirochetes was established, after rearrangement and unification of several theories in the taxonomy of the Spirochetes.