Desulfotomaculum bacteria
Sulfate-reducing bacteria use sulfate
(SO4-2) instead of oxygen (O) for their growth and
reproduction by converting sulfate to hydrogen sulfide (H2S). Members
of sulfate-reducing bacteria are among the oldest life forms, probably more than
3 billion years old. They include closely related Desulfovibrio,
Desulfomonas, and Desulfotomaculum. By reducing sulfate, the
bacteria produce large amounts of hydrogen sulfide.
Desulfotomaculum is a genus of sulfate-reducing anaerobic bacteria that form
heat-resistant endospores, small asexual spores that develop inside the cells of
some bacteria and algae. Members of Desulfotomaculum are widely distributed in
soil and the intestinal tracts of animals. Their characteristic feature is a
great nutritional versatility: hydrogen gas, alcohol, fatty acids,
monocarboxylic or dicarboxylic acids, alanine, or phenol-substituted organic
acids. They are able to convert complex petroleum compounds into a wide spectrum
of low-molecular alcohols and organic acids. Desulfotomaculum species are
regarded as clostridia-like bacteria which have the additional capacity of
sulfate reduction. Desulfotomaculum stains gram-negative but cell wall is
gram-positive type.[2]
The genus contains a number of moderately thermophilic (growing best at
elevated temperatures) species which thrive at temperatures from 54° C to 65° C. D. nigrificans was isolated from hot-oil-field water. D.
geothermicum was isolated from geothermal ground water.[1]
References
1. The Prokaryotes: a handbook on the biology of bacteria. Bacteria : firmicutes, cyanobacteria Martin Dworkin, Stanley Falkow
2. Geobiology: objectives, concepts, perspectives By N. Noffke
3. Microbiological examination of water and wastewater By Maria Csuros, Csaba
Csuros
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