on solid media as coccobacilli. Coxiella burnetti is also a coccobacillus. Spiral Spiral bacteria are another major bacterial cell morphology. Spiral bacteria can be sub-classified as spirilla, spirochetes, or vibrios based on the number of twists per cell, cell thickness, cell flexibility, and motility. Bacteria are known to evolve specific traits to survive in their ideal environment. Bacteria-caused illnesses hinge on the bacteria’s physiology and their ability to interact with their environment, including the ability to shapeshift. Researchers discovered a protein that allows the bacterium Vibrio cholerae to morph into a corkscrew shape that likely helps it twist into — and then escape — the protective mucus that lines the inside of the gut. See also Bacterial morphological plasticity Ferdinand Cohn – gave first named shapes of bacteria References External links Bacteria Picture Gallery Bacteria Morphology (biology)