''Magnetospirillum'' is a
Gram-negative
Gram-negative bacteria are bacteria that do not retain the crystal violet stain used in the Gram staining method of bacterial differentiation. They are characterized by their cell envelopes, which are composed of a thin peptidoglycan cell wa ...
,
microaerophilic
A microaerophile is a microorganism that requires environments containing lower levels of dioxygen than that are present in the atmosphere (i.e. < 21% O2; typically 2–10% O2) for optimal growth.[ A more r ...]
genus of
magnetotactic bacterium, first isolated from pond water by the
microbiologist
A microbiologist (from Greek ) is a scientist who studies microscopic life forms and processes. This includes study of the growth, interactions and characteristics of microscopic organisms such as bacteria, algae, fungi, and some types of para ...
R. P. Blakemore in 1975.
[
] They have a
spiral (helical) shape and are propelled by a polar
flagellum
A flagellum (; ) is a hairlike appendage that protrudes from certain plant and animal sperm cells, and from a wide range of microorganisms to provide motility. Many protists with flagella are termed as flagellates.
A microorganism may have f ...
at each end of their cells. Four species have been described: ''M. magnetotacticum'' strain MS-1 (originally classified as ''Aquaspirillum magnetotacticum''; ''M. magneticum'' strain AMB-1; ''M. gryphiswaldense'' and ''M. bellicus''.
Habitat
The typical
habitat
In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...
of ''Magnetospirillum'' species consists of shallow fresh water and sediments, characterized by low concentrations of
oxygen
Oxygen is the chemical element with the symbol O and atomic number 8. It is a member of the chalcogen group in the periodic table, a highly reactive nonmetal, and an oxidizing agent that readily forms oxides with most elements ...
for growth (microaerophilic) where they live in the upper portion of the sediment (
oxic
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