| Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans | |
|---|---|
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| An image of Acidithiobacullus ferrooxidans | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Bacteria |
| Phylum: | Pseudomonadota |
| Class: | Acidithiobacillia |
| Order: | Acidithiobacillales |
| Family: | Acidithiobacillaceae |
| Genus: | Acidithiobacillus |
| Species: |
A. ferrooxidans
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| Binomial name | |
| Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans (Temple and Colmer 1951) Kelly and Wood 2000 | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Thiobacillus ferrooxidans | |
Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans is a bacterium that sustains its life cycle at extremely low pH values, and it is one of the very few organisms that gain energy from oxidating ferrous iron (Fe+II). It can make copper from ores water-soluble, and it can sequester both carbon and nitrogen from the atmosphere.[1]
Not only is A. ferrooxidans the best-studied of the acidophilic bacteria. During mining activities, the bacterium plays a crucial role in producing harmful acidic and metal-rich drainage water through the dissolution of sulfide minerals, but it also recovers precious dissolved metals.[2]
The gram-negative bacterium grows best at 30 °C at pH 2 and Fe 2+ concentrations of 10-1 M, but growth still occurs at pH values of less than 1.[1]
The ATCC 23270 type strain has one circular chromosome of 2.9 million base pairs and a G+C content of 59%. Genome sequencing has shown 2070 genes that code for a protein with a known function, while 1147 hypothetical proteins have been found. The bacterium contains a gene that makes it toluene-resistant. Genes for chemotaxis and locomotion (flagella) have not been observed.[1]
| Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans |
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| Thiobacillus ferrooxidans |
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