''Thiobacillus'' is a genus of

Gram-negative Gram-negative bacteria are bacteria that do not retain the crystal violet stain used in the Gram staining method of bacterial differentiation. They are characterized by their cell envelopes, which are composed of a thin peptidoglycan cell wall ...

Betaproteobacteria Betaproteobacteria are a class of Gram-negative bacteria, and one of the eight classes of the phylum Pseudomonadota (synonym Proteobacteria). The ''Betaproteobacteria'' are a class comprising over 75 genera and 400 species of bacteria. Togeth ...

. '' Thiobacillus thioparus'' is the

type species In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specimen ...

of the genus, and the type strain thereof is the Starkey^T strain, isolated by Robert Starkey in the 1930s from a field at

Rutgers University Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's ...

in the

United States of America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...

. While over 30 "species" have been named in this genus since it was defined by

Martinus Beijerinck Martinus Willem Beijerinck (, 16 March 1851 – 1 January 1931) was a Dutch microbiologist and botanist who was one of the founders of virology and environmental microbiology. He is credited with the discovery of viruses, which he called "''c ...

in 1904, (the first strain was observed by the biological oceanographer Alexander Nathansohn in 1902 - likely what we would now call ''

Halothiobacillus neapolitanus ''Halothiobacillus'' is a genus in the '' Gammaproteobacteria''. Both species are obligate aerobic bacteria; they require oxygen to grow. They are also halotolerant; they live in environments with high concentrations of salt or other solutes, b ...

''), most names were never validly or effectively published. The remainder were either reclassified into ''

Paracoccus ''Paracoccus'' is a genus of bacteria in the family Rhodobacteraceae.See the NCBIbr>webpage on Paracoccus Data extracted from the Species Accepted Species The following species have been effectively and validly published: * '' Paracoccus acr ...

'', '' Starkeya'' (both in the

Alphaproteobacteria Alphaproteobacteria is a class of bacteria in the phylum Pseudomonadota (formerly Proteobacteria). The Magnetococcales and Mariprofundales are considered basal or sister to the Alphaproteobacteria. The Alphaproteobacteria are highly diverse and p ...

); '' Sulfuriferula'', ''

Annwoodia The genus ''Annwoodia'' was named in 2017 to circumscribe an organism previously described as a member of the genus ''Thiobacillus'', ''Thiobacillus aquaesulis'' - the type and only species is ''Annwoodia aquaesulis'', which was isolated from th ...

'', ''

Thiomonas ''Thiomonas'' is a genus of Gram-negative, non- spore-forming bacteria Bacteria (; singular: bacterium) are ubiquitous, mostly free-living organisms often consisting of one Cell (biology), biological cell. They constitute a large domain ...

'' (in the

); ''

Halothiobacillus ''Halothiobacillus'' is a genus in the ''Gammaproteobacteria''. Both species are obligate aerobic bacteria; they require oxygen to grow. They are also halotolerant; they live in environments with high concentrations of salt or other solutes, bu ...

'', ''

Guyparkeria ''Guyparkeria'' is a genus in the '' Gammaproteobacteria''. Both species are obligate aerobic bacteria; they require oxygen to grow. They are also halophilic and have varying degrees of thermophilicity. They live in environments with high conce ...

'' (in the

Gammaproteobacteria Gammaproteobacteria is a class of bacteria in the phylum Pseudomonadota (synonym Proteobacteria). It contains about 250 genera, which makes it the most genera-rich taxon of the Prokaryotes. Several medically, ecologically, and scientifically imp ...

), or ''

Thermithiobacillus ''Thermithiobacillus'' is a genus of nonsporeforming, rod-shaped, Gram-negative bacteria. The name derives from the Latin ''thermae'', for warm baths, and the Classical Greek θείος, ''theios'' for sulfur. The type species of this genus was ...

'' or ''

Acidithiobacillus ''Acidithiobacillus'' is a genus of the ''Acidithiobacillia'' in the " Pseudomonadota". The genus includes acidophilic organisms capable of iron and/or sulfur oxidation. Like all ''"Pseudomonadota"'', ''Acidithiobacillus'' spp. are Gram-negative. ...

'' (in the

Acidithiobacillia Acidithiobacillia is a class of the "''Pseudomonadota''". Its type order, the '' Acidithiobacillales'', was formerly classified within the ''Gammaproteobacteria'', and comprises two families of sulfur-oxidising autotroph An autotroph or prim ...

). The very loosely defined "species" '' Thiobacillus trautweinii'' was where sulfur oxidising

heterotroph A heterotroph (; ) is an organism that cannot produce its own food, instead taking nutrition from other sources of organic carbon, mainly plant or animal matter. In the food chain, heterotrophs are primary, secondary and tertiary consumers, but ...

s and chemolithoheterotrophs were assigned in the 1910-1960s era, most of which were probably ''

Pseudomonas ''Pseudomonas'' is a genus of Gram-negative, Gammaproteobacteria, belonging to the family Pseudomonadaceae and containing 191 described species. The members of the genus demonstrate a great deal of metabolic diversity and consequently are able ...

'' species. Many species named in this genus were never deposited in service collections and have been lost. All species are obligate autotrophs (using the

transaldolase Transaldolase is an enzyme () of the non-oxidative phase of the pentose phosphate pathway. In humans, transaldolase is encoded by the ''TALDO1'' gene. The following chemical reaction is catalyzed by transaldolase: : sedoheptulose 7-phosph ...

form of the Calvin-Benson-Bassham cycle) using elementary sulfur, thiosulfate, or polythionates as energy sources - the former '' Thiobacillus aquaesulis'' can grow weakly on complex media as a heterotroph, but has been reclassified to ''

Annwoodia aquaesulis The genus ''Annwoodia'' was named in 2017 to circumscribe an organism previously described as a member of the genus ''Thiobacillus'', ''Thiobacillus aquaesulis'' - the type and only species is ''Annwoodia aquaesulis'', which was isolated from th ...

''. Some strains (E6 and Tk-m) of the type species ''Thiobacillus thioparus'' can use the sulfur from

dimethylsulfide Dimethyl sulfide (DMS) or methylthiomethane is an organosulfur compound with the formula (CH3)2S. Dimethyl sulfide is a flammable liquid that boils at and has a characteristic disagreeable odor. It is a component of the smell produced from cook ...

dimethyldisulfide Dimethyl disulfide (DMDS) is an organic chemical compound with the molecular formula which is the simplest disulfide. It is a flammable liquid with an unpleasant, garlic-like odor. Occurrence Dimethyl disulfide is a widespread natural odorifer ...

, or

carbon disulfide Carbon disulfide (also spelled as carbon disulphide) is a neurotoxic, colorless, volatile liquid with the formula and structure . The compound is used frequently as a building block in organic chemistry as well as an industrial and chemical non ...

to support autotrophic growth - they oxidise the carbon from these species into

carbon dioxide Carbon dioxide (chemical formula ) is a chemical compound made up of molecules that each have one carbon atom covalently double bonded to two oxygen atoms. It is found in the gas state at room temperature. In the air, carbon dioxide is transpar ...

and assimilate it. Sulfur oxidation is achieved via the Kelly-Trudinger pathway.

Reclassifications

As a result of

16S ribosomal RNA 16 S ribosomal RNA (or 16 S rRNA) is the RNA component of the 30S subunit of a prokaryotic ribosome (SSU rRNA). It binds to the Shine-Dalgarno sequence and provides most of the SSU structure. The genes coding for it are referred to as 16S rRNA ...

sequence analysis, many members of ''Thiobacillus'' have been reassigned. *'' Thiobacillus versutus'' to ''

'' *'' Thiobacillus acidophilus'' to ''

Acidiphilium ''Acidiphilium'' is a genus in the phylum Pseudomonadota (Bacteria). As the name suggests, this comprises a nutritionally diverse genus of bacteria adapted to life in extremely acidic conditions, and often exhibiting FeIII (ferric iron) reduct ...

'' *'' Thiobacillus intermedius'', '' Thiobacillus perometabolis'', '' Thiobacillus thermosulfatus'', and '' Thiobacilus cuprinus'' to ''

'' *''

Thiobacillus thiooxidans ''Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans'', formerly known as ''Thiobacillus thiooxidans'' until its reclassification into the newly designated genus ''Acidithiobacillus'' of the Acidithiobacillia subclass of Pseudomonadota, is a Gram-negative, rod-shape ...

'', ''

Thiobacillus ferrooxidans ''Acidithiobacillus'' is a genus of the '' Acidithiobacillia'' in the "Pseudomonadota". The genus includes acidophilic organisms capable of iron and/or sulfur oxidation. Like all ''"Pseudomonadota"'', ''Acidithiobacillus'' spp. are Gram-negative. ...

'', '' Thiobacillus caldus'', and '' Thiobacillus albertensis'' to ''

'' *'' Thiobacillus aquaesulis'' to ''

''. *'' Thiobacillus neapolitanus'' to ''

'' *'' Thiobacillus thyasiris'' to '' Thiomicrospira thyasirae'' *'' Thiobacillus hydrothermalis'' and '' Thiobacillus halophilus'' firstly to ''

'' and later to ''

'' *'' Thiobacillus tepidarius'' to ''

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2421263 Nitrosomonadales Betaproteobacteria Bacteria genera