Genome
In the 17 July 1998 issue of the journal Science, a group of biologists reported how they sequenced the genome of T. pallidum. The recent sequencing of the genomes of several spirochetes permits a thorough analysis of the similarities and differences within this bacterial phylum. Treponema pallidum subsp. pallidum has one of the smallest bacterial genomes at 1.14 million base pairs (Mb), and has limited metabolic capabilities, reflecting its adaptation through genome reduction to the rich environment of mammalian tissue. The shape of Treponema pallidum is flat and wavy, unlike the other spirochetes, which are helical.
Read more about this topic: Treponema Pallidum