Desulfobacter hydrogenophilus

Desulfobacter hydrogenophilus
Scientific classification
Domain:
Bacteria
Phylum:
Thermodesulfobacteriota
Class:
Desulfobacteria
Order:
Desulfobacterales
Family:
Desulfobacteraceae
Genus:
Desulfobacter
Species:
D. hydrogenophilus
Binomial name
Desulfobacter hydrogenophilus
Widdell, 1987

Desulfobacter hydrogenophilus is a strictly anaerobic sulfate-reducing bacterium.[1] It was isolated and characterized in 1987 by Friedrich Widdel of the University of Konstanz (Germany). Like most sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB), D. hydrogenophilus is capable of completely oxidizing organic compounds (specifically acetate, pyruvate and ethanol) to CO2, and therefore plays a key role in biomineralization in anaerobic marine environments.[2] However, unlike many SRB, D. hydrogenophilus is a facultative lithoautotroph, and can grow using H2 as an electron donor and CO2 as a carbon source.[1] D. hydrogenophilus is also unique because it is psychrophilic (and has been shown to grow at temperatures as low as 0 °C or 32 °F). It is also diazotrophic, or capable of fixing nitrogen.[1]

  1. ^ a b c F. Widdel (1987). "New types of acetate-oxidizing, sulfate-reducing Desulfobacter species, D. hydrogenophilus sp. nov., D. latus sp. nov., and D. curvatus sp. nov". Archives of Microbiology. 148 (4): 286–291. doi:10.1007/BF00456706. S2CID 23489467.
  2. ^ Bo Barker Jørgensen (1982). "Mineralization of organic matter in the sea bed – the role of sulphate reduction". Nature. 296 (5858): 643–645. Bibcode:1982Natur.296..643J. doi:10.1038/296643a0. S2CID 4308770.