Change for survival!!!
We tend to think of bacteria as having fixed morphologies.
We even name them after their shape (e.g. Streptococcus).
However, considered that:
* At least eight different morphological forms are adopted by Legionella pneumophila during its developmental cycle.
* Helicobacter pylori is usually identified as short spiral rods but can appear as corkscrews (filaments) in biopsy specimens.
* For uropathogenic Escherichia coli, four distinct morphological forms were identified: nonmotile rods, cocci, motile rods and filaments.