Prokaryote
Borrelia burgdorferi
Gram Status: Negative
Shape: Spirochete
Significance: Causes Lyme disease, transmitted by ticks.
Candidatus Prometheoarchaeum syntrophicum
Gram Status: Unknown
Shape: Unknown
Significance: An archaeal bacterium that engages in syntrophic metabolism, may play a role in biogeochemical cycles.
Methanobrevibacter smithii
Gram Status: Not applicable (Archaea)
Shape: Rod
Significance: Major component of the human gut microbiome, involved in the digestion of complex carbohydrates and production of methane.
Cutibacterium (Propionibacterium) acnes
Gram Status: Positive
Shape: Rod
Significance: Associated with acne, part of skin microbiota.
Lactococcus lactis
Gram Status: Positive
Shape: Coccus
Significance: Used in the production of cheese and probiotics.
Bacteroides spp.
Gram Status: Negative
Shape: Rod
Significance: Major component of human gut flora; important for digestion and health.
Helicobacter pylori
Gram Status: Negative
Shape: Spiral
Significance: Associated with peptic ulcers and gastric cancer.
Salmonella enterica Typhimurium
Gram Status: Negative
Shape: Rod
Significance: Common cause of food poisoning.
Yersinia enterocolitica
Gram Status: Negative
Shape: Rod
Significance: Causes gastrointestinal infections.
Yersinia pseudotuberculosis
Gram Status: Negative
Shape: Rod
Significance: Causes a disease similar to tuberculosis.
Yersinia pestis
Gram Status: Negative
Shape: Rod
Significance: Cause of the plague.
Campylobacter jejuni
Gram Status: Negative
Shape: Spiral
Significance: Leading cause of bacterial food poisoning.
Salmonella enterica Typhi
Gram Status: Negative
Shape: Rod
Significance: Causes typhoid fever.
O157H7 Escherichia coli
Gram Status: Negative
Shape: Rod
Significance: Pathogenic strain causing severe foodborne illness.
Cryptosporidium parvum
Gram Status: Not applicable (Protozoa)
Shape: Oocyst
Significance: Causes crypto-sporidiosis, vital to public health considerations.
Vibrio cholerae
Gram Status: Negative
Shape: Comma
Significance: The causative agent of cholera, a severe diarrheal disease.
Shigella dysenteriae
Gram Status: Negative
Shape: Rod
Significance: Causes bacillary dysentery and diarrhea.
Neisseria gonorrhoeae
Gram Status: Negative
Shape: Diplococcus
Significance: Causative agent of gonorrhea, an important sexually transmitted infection.
Chlamydia trachomatis
Gram Status: Negative
Shape: Coccus
Significance: Causes chlamydia infection, the most prevalent STI.
Treponema pallidum
Gram Status: Negative
Shape: Spirochete
Significance: Causative agent of syphilis.
Nitrosomonas spp.
Gram Status: Negative
Shape: Rod
Significance: Important in nitrogen cycle, converts ammonia to nitrites.
Rhizobium spp.
Gram Status: Negative
Shape: Rod
Significance: Forms symbiotic relationships with legumes, fixing atmospheric nitrogen.
Thermus aquaticus
Gram Status: Negative
Shape: Rod
Significance: Source of Taq polymerase, widely used in PCR techniques.