11+ Iron Bacteria Examples: Detailed Explanations And Images

It is a group of bacteria which is aerobic in nature. It can metabolize the oxidation of ferrous ions by utilizing. Iron bacteria examples are tiny living organisms which can feed on small amounts of iron.

These organisms can feed on small amount of iron in water. It also can metabolize the oxidation of manganous ions with iron ions by utilizing. The iron bacteria examples are 2 types- 1. Iron oxidizing bacteria and 2. Iron reducing bacteria. In water which contains iron in different concentrations they grow and reproduce.

Acidithiobacill thiooxidans

It is a kind of Proteobacteria. It is Rod shaped Gram negative bacterium that uses the sulfur for the primary source of energy. It is previously known as Thiobacillus thiooxidans. It is reclassified into the newly formed genus which is Acidithiobacillus. It is under the phylum Pseudomonadota. These colorless bacterium does not accumulate the sulfur ions either in or outside the cells.

The cells of the bacterium are very small in size. Its average size is around 0.5 mm and 1 mm in diameter. These are very widespread, mesophilic and of course obligately aerobic. It is extremely acidophilic and chemolithoautotrophic. It is a gammaproteobacterium. It is found usually in soil, pipes (mainly of drain or gutter) and in caves (rocky and soil both) etc places.

This iron bacteria examples are used in mining sectors which is known as bioleaching. Here metals are extracted from their main part though the function of the microbes. It also capable in the anaerobic growth. It is an effective microbial mitigative of pyrite. It is caused by the adsorption of the microbial colloids. It is not by the oxidation effect.

Acidithiobacill ferrooxidans

It is the most widely studied prokaryotes which is of all extremely acidophilic. Many kinds of natural low pH circumstances in a variety of geoclimatic environments. In anthropogenic (mostly own impacted) environments it has been more widely located. It is commonly found in acid mines’ drainages and mine tailings.

The iron bacteria examples are the major participant in consortia of micro organisms which is hugely used for the bioleaching or biomining (industrial recovery of copper mainly). It is a kind of chemolithoautrophic and a gamma proteobacterium which is used for energy from the oxidation of iron and sulfur containing minerals.it is used for growth.

The loss of molecules caused and done by many reactions like iron and decreased sulfur polyatomic oxygen ions, metal sulfides and elementary sulfur that results in the total of ferric sulfate and sulfuric acid. Here the solubilization of metals and other compounds is the final production. It is found in optimally 30o C and with pH 1 or 2 in coal deposits. It is an effective microbial mitigative of pyrite.

iron bacteria examples
Acidithiobacill ferrooxidans from Wikipedia

Acidithiobacill caldus

Prior to 2000 it belonged to the genus Thiobacillus. It is also reclassified with some other bacterial species into 1 of those 3 genera that is specifically categorize sulfur oxidizing acidophiles. Caldus is the species name which means warm or hot in Latin. It signified that the species loves the warm environment.

It is a rod (bacillus like) shaped Gram negative bacterium that usually contains 2 in numbers maximum times. During the breakdown of silfide minerals it is commonly used microbes for biomining. Acidithiobacillus came from the Latin word acidus. It means this genus loves a sour or acidic environment. It is a gammaproteobacteria from a class of proteobacteria.

The iron bacteria examples possess motility through a single polar flagellum which is located in its outer cell. Its length is about 1 to 2 mm. It shows vary in size and strains which is BC13. It has a diameter around 0.7 to 1.2 mm. Another strain KU is little longer with a length of diameter of roughly 0.8 to 1.8 mm.

Acidithiobacill albertensis

It is a mesophilic Gram negative bacterium which has a strain of BY-05 which is isolated from an acid mine. It was the during the drainage of copper in Baiyin area Gansu Privince in China. It is one of the recently found and discovered iron bacteria examples. The research is going on it.

Sphaerotilus natans

It is a kind of aquatic periphyton organism which is associated with polluted water. The iron bacteria examples usually form “sewage fungus” which is the colonies of these bacteria. Later it is also identified as a tightly sheathed filamentous bacterium.

It accumulates the slime and aid secondary organism to grow. These sheathed bacteria are a group of microorganisms which is widely found in slow running water and many species attached to submerged surfaces of nature.

iron bacteria examples
Sphaerotilus natans from Wikipedia

Leptothrix orchracea

These kind of iron bacteria examples are found in fresh water and wetlands in only low concentrations of living organic matter which should be iron rich.

iron bacteria examples
Leptothrix sp from Wikipedia

Comamonas testosterone

It is a gram negative soil bacteria. Its l2gfp strain is used in bioaugmentation trials. It is done for treating the byproduct 3-chloroaniline for industry purpose. Microbial Mammoth-P contains this bacteria as a component and it claims that enhancing bioavailable phosphorus to reproduce plants and increase stem strength in these  plants.

The iron bacteria examples are still a rare human pathogen. It is not very commonly examined as an infectious bacteria in clinical sector of human pathology.

Gallionella ferruginea

The genus prefers the mildly acidic to neutral environment. It accumulates abundant Fe hydroxide precipitates on their filaments or the stalking structures that can age more crystalline minerals. These iron bacteria examples are the oxidizing Mn after Fe.

iron bacteria examples
Gallionella ferruginea from Wikipedia

Mariprofundus ferrooxydans

It is a gram negative, chemolithotrophic, neutrophilic bacterium which can oxidize the ferrous to ferric iron. It is one of the small number of members belonging the class Zetaproteobacteria from the Proteobacteria phylum.

The iron bacteria examples found at the bottom of deep-sea environments like in any materialistic substances. It produces stalks of solid iron oxyhydroxides that makes the final iron mats. Genes have been proposed to catalyze Fe to those involved in metal redox pathways.

Sideroxydans spp.

The iron bacteria examples are usually less known and less researched topics. Scientists are developing the theories against all these matters. This is also a gram negative bacteria. Many species are there under the genus Sideroxydans. It is a kind of relative of Gallionella ferruginea as the similarity of their features.

Ferritrophicum radicicola

The iron bacteria examples are b-proteobacteria. It is isolated from the rhizosphere of Funcus effusus growing along in an acid mine drainage creek in Virginia in soil with a pH of 4.

Crenothrix spp.

The iron bacteria examples have many species under the genus Crenothrix. These are usually less known and less researched topics. Scientists are developing the theories against all these matters.

Iron oxidizing bacteria examples

These iron bacteria examples lost the ions of molecules and changed the ferrous ions to ferric state to gain the energy. The deposited ferric oxide on carbon steel surfaces of pipelines and promote the tuber and circle like formation. These bacteria are not harmful for nature or human and found in streams, ruts etc.

Mostly found in streams or seeps by the underground water which is rich in iron. It generates electrons which finally destinated to the terminal electron acceptor. It went through the electron transport pathway. With the help of ATP synthase enzymes this generates all the energy.

Iron-reducing bacteria examples

The iron bacteria examples are the materials which dissolved in water and often this underlying causes an iron oxidizing bacteria population. Underground water may be naturally de-oxygenated by the decaying of vegetation in swamps and the useful minerals deposit of bog iron. Maybe it has formed where underground water has historically emerged. It is also been exposed to the atmospheric oxygen. They actually reduce ferric ions to ferrous ions under anaerobic conditions.

iron bacteria examples
Reduction from Wikipedia

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