spirochete /spī″rəkēt′/ [Gk, speira, coil, chaite, hair] , any bacterium of the genus Spirochaeta that is motile and spiral-shaped with flexible filaments. Kinds of spirochetes include the organisms responsible for leptospirosis, relapsing fever, syphilis, and yaws. Also spelled spirochaete. Compare Bacillus, coccus, vibrio.
