Peritrichous

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Peritrichous Bacteria
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Domain:	Bacteria
Phylum:	[[Proteobacteria|Proteobacteria]]
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Genus:	Various
Species:	Various
Binomial name	Peritrichous Bacteria
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This template is designed for creating infoboxes for bacterial species on a wiki using MediaWiki software, similar to those found on Wikipedia. It includes fields for the bacteria's taxonomy, characteristics, genomics, and pathogenicity, among others. Users can fill in the template with specific information about the bacteria they are documenting.

Peritrichous refers to a type of bacterial flagellation where flagella are distributed over the entire surface of the cell. This is in contrast to other types of flagellation such as monotrichous, where a single flagellum is present, or lophotrichous, where multiple flagella are located at one or both ends of the cell.

Structure and Function

Peritrichous bacteria possess flagella that are distributed uniformly across the cell surface. These flagella are helical filaments composed of the protein flagellin. The flagella are anchored in the cell membrane by a complex structure known as the basal body, which acts as a motor to rotate the flagella.

The rotation of the flagella allows the bacterium to move in a liquid environment. When the flagella rotate counterclockwise, they form a bundle that propels the bacterium forward in a "run." When the rotation switches to clockwise, the flagella splay apart, causing the bacterium to "tumble" and change direction. This run-and-tumble behavior is a form of taxis, allowing the bacterium to move toward favorable environments or away from harmful ones.

Examples of Peritrichous Bacteria

Several well-known bacteria exhibit peritrichous flagellation, including:

• Escherichia coli - A common bacterium found in the intestines of humans and animals.
• Salmonella enterica - A pathogen responsible for foodborne illnesses.
• Proteus mirabilis - Known for its swarming motility and role in urinary tract infections.

Role in Pathogenicity

The motility provided by peritrichous flagella can be a factor in the pathogenicity of certain bacteria. For example, Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica use their flagella to navigate through the host's intestinal mucus layer, facilitating colonization and infection.

Research and Applications

Understanding the mechanisms of peritrichous flagellation and motility can have important implications in microbiology and medicine. Research into bacterial motility can lead to the development of new antimicrobial strategies and improve our understanding of bacterial behavior in various environments.

Also see

• Flagellum
• Bacterial motility
• Chemotaxis
• Monotrichous
• Lophotrichous
• Amphitrichous