What is the list of motile bacteria?

Some bacteria that use flagellar movement include vibrio, spirillum, klebsiella, pseudomonas, azospirillum and salmonella. Bacteria that utilize spirochaetal movement include the borrelia, treponema, leptospira, cristispira and spirochaeta. A few examples of the gliding bacteria include achroonema, alysiella and cyanobacterium Oscillatoria. Bacteria motility falls under three categories: flagellar, spirochaetal and gliding.

Bacterial motility is important for root colonization and chemotactic behavior and survival. When describing bacteria movement, the words motility and locomotion may also be used. Bacteria that move by flagellar movement posses flagella, which are rigid structures that protrude from the cell's surface. Helical bacteria, also known as the spirochaetes, have internal filaments. These filaments rotate the cell in a spiral fashion and enable it to move. The exact method of movement by gliding bacteria is unknown. However, it is known that they secrete a slime to enable this process.

Bacterial motility can be detected with a microscope. When examining for movement, there is a risk of detecting false movement. False movement is usually the result of air currents or liquid medium particles. Bacteria that are actually moving show a propelling action in a definite direction. This contrasts to bacteria that are nonmotive and may move in a zigzag or directionless formation.