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![](https://prod-images-static.radiopaedia.org/images/32291196/13d13d5576b2e156db59b6efd0f1bb_big_gallery.jpeg)
This transmission electron microscopic (TEM) image revealed some of the ultrastructural morphology displayed by a spiral-shaped Treponema pallidum spirochete. Note the 1µ (micrometer), hand drawn measurement indicator. T. pallidum is the causative agent of syphilis. It contains one of the smallest prokaryotic genomes consisting of about 1000 kilobase pairs.
This image and text are in the public domain and are courtesy of the Public Health Image Library, Susan Lindsley, and the National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention.