microspira

from The Century Dictionary.

• noun A genus of bacteria, with cells mostly comma-shaped or short spiral, sometimes united in chains, and usually provided with a single polar flagellum, rarely 2 or 3. M. comma, the comma bacillus of Koch, is the most important pathogenic species, being generally accepted as the specific cause of Asiatic cholera. M. Metschnikovi is associated with fowl-cholera. Other species occur in sea-water, sewers, and rivers.