Leptospira and Actinomycetes

In this, we will know all about Leptospira and Actinomycetes. Leptospira is extremely thin and coiled tightly in structure. They have a unique type of motility that is flexible and obligate aerobic spirochetes. unique flexible type motility. Here the Leptospira genus is branched out into two different species – the first one is pathogenic Leptospira L interorgan and another one is free-living Leptospira L biflexi. Actinomycetes are gram-positive mycelial bacteria, which are well known for producing industrial and medical compounds. 

Leptospira and Actinomycetes

Characteristics of Leptospira organisms are that they are  very thin, tightly coiled, obligate aerobic spirochetes and they are categorized by unique flexible type motility.  Actinomycetes are gram-positive mycelial bacteria, which are well known for producing industrial and medical compounds.  Leptospira interrogan is a bacterial species that contains 200 pathogenic serovars. These pathogenic bacteria popularly known as Leptospira are the infectious agents that cause the zoonotic disease called Leptospirosis. This disease can affect humans as well as animals. The Actinomycetes belong to the order of actinobacteria. A member present in this order is known as Actinomycetes. These are gram-positive and anaerobic organisms that are diverse and contain a variety of species. 

Actinomycetes Examples 

Actinomycetes means that they are the unicellular organisms that belong to the help Actinomycetes order and these are gram-positive bacteria. These are found all over the world in various distributions in different habitats in the natural world. The word’ Actinomycetes’ is derived from two Greek words ‘atkis’ means ray and ‘Myles’ means fungi. Formally, these are characterized under the group of fungi. It was found that these are some of its characteristics with fungi and thus can cause the same disease in eyes like that of fungi. Along with wide distribution, they are versatile nutrition-wise and are capable of producing spores. Having these characteristics helps them to compete with other organisms that are present there in the surrounding. Some members present there in the group can cause various diseases and they are the important soil organisms that produce biologically active compounds that can be used as insecticides, pesticides, antibiotics, etc. 

Actinomycetes Examples are as follows: – 

•  Actinomyces meyeri 

• Actinomyces israelii

• Streptomyces coelicolor 

• Streptomyces scabies

• Nocardia brasiliensis 

• Nocardia asteroides 

Functions of Actinomycetes 

Functions of Actinomycetes are as follows: – 

• It helps in the production of antibiotics and insecticides. 

• It produces geosmin, a compound that gives soil and water characteristic or earthy odor.

• It is capable of degradation of complex organic molecules. 

• It is capable of biological nitrogen-fixing with agents of non-legume associated. 

Diseases Caused by Leptospira interrogans 

Leptospirosis is well known by many other names. They are  weir’s disease, canicola fever, Hemorrhagic Jaundice, mud fever, and swineherd disease. Clinical illness can generally occur  in two stages and it lasts from a couple of days to three weeks or Maybe longer time. The febrile stage begins with  symptoms like flu which also includes  viral fever, myalgia, high intensity headache, etc. The first phase can  normally be cured  after four to nine days and the patients are  briefly asymptomatic and before the second phase begins which is characterized by liver damage, jaundice, and renal failure. Because of a wide range of symptoms, the infection is often wrongly diagnosed as influenza. The seriousness of the illness depends on the infection of bacteria  as well as on the host. 

Conclusion 

Leptospira organisms are very thin, tightly coiled, obligate aerobic spirochetes categorized by unique flexible type motility.  Actinomycetes are gram-positive mycelial bacteria, which are well known for producing industrial and medical compounds.  Leptospirosis is known by many other names including weir’s disease, canicola fever, Hemorrhagic Jaundice, mud fever, and swineherd disease.