Leptospira

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Leptospira (order Spirochaetales, family Leptospiraceae) A genus of flexible, spiral-shaped bacteria in which one or both ends of the cells are typically bent or hooked. Aerobic chemo-organotrophs, they may be free-living in aquatic environments, or may be parasitic or pathogenic in vertebrate hosts. Strains of L. interrogans can cause Weil's disease (infectious jaundice).

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