Magnetospirillum

Magnetospirillum
Scientific classification
Domain: Bacteria
Kingdom: Pseudomonadati
Phylum: Pseudomonadota
Class: Alphaproteobacteria
Order: Rhodospirillales
Family: Rhodospirillaceae
Genus: Magnetospirillum
Species
  • "M. magnetotacticum"
  • M. gryphiswaldense
  • M. magneticum
  • M. bellicus
  • M. caucaseum
  • M. marisnigri
  • M. moscoviense
  • M. sp. MSM (7 strains)
  • M. sp. MGT-1
Synonyms
  • Phaeospirillum Imhoff et al. 1998

Magnetospirillum is a Gram-negative, microaerophilic genus of magnetotactic bacteria, first isolated from pond water by the microbiologist R. P. Blakemore in 1975. They have a spiral (helical) shape and are propelled by a polar flagellum at each end of their cells. The three main species identified are M. magnetotacticum strain MS-1, M. griphiswaldense strain MSR-1, and M. magneticum strain AMB-1.