Carboxydothermus hydrogenoformans | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Endospore of C. hydrogenoformans | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Bacteria |
Kingdom: | Bacillati |
Phylum: | Bacillota |
Class: | Clostridia |
Order: | Carboxydothermales |
Family: | Carboxydothermaceae |
Genus: | Carboxydothermus |
Species: | C. hydrogenoformans |
Binomial name | |
Carboxydothermus hydrogenoformans Svetlichny 1991 |
Carboxydothermus hydrogenoformans is an extremely thermophilic anaerobic Gram-positive bacterium that has the interesting property of producing hydrogen as a waste product while feeding on carbon monoxide and water. It also forms endospores.
It was isolated from a hot spring on the Russian volcanic island of Kunashir by Svetlichny et al. in 1991. [1] Its complete genome was sequenced in 2005 by a team of scientists of the Institute for Genomic Research (TIGR). [2]
According to TIGR evolutionary biologist Jonathan Eisen, "C. hydrogenoformans is one of the fastest-growing microbes that can convert water and carbon monoxide to hydrogen." The microbe owes this to the fact that it has at least five different forms of carbon monoxide dehydrogenase. [2]