Effect of temperature and viscosity on the motility of the spirochete Treponema denticola

Abstract

Treponema denticola is an oral spirochete associated with periodontal diseases. Because bacterial motility is likely to be a potential virulence factor, we investigated the effect of viscosity and temperature on cell speed. In agreement with the work of others, translational motility was a function of the macroscopic viscosity of the medium. In addition, we found that although the speed of spirochetes was slow at 25°C (4 μm s⁻¹), it increased quite markedly at 35°C (19 μm s⁻¹). The results indicate that both viscosity and temperature are critical factors in T. denticola translational motility.