''Bifidobacterium thermacidophilum'' is a

Gram-positive In bacteriology, gram-positive bacteria are bacteria that give a positive result in the Gram stain test, which is traditionally used to quickly classify bacteria into two broad categories according to their type of cell wall. Gram-positive bac ...

, rod-shaped species of

bacteria Bacteria (; singular: bacterium) are ubiquitous, mostly free-living organisms often consisting of one biological cell. They constitute a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria were am ...

. Strains of this species were originally isolated from an

anaerobic digester Anaerobic digestion is a sequence of processes by which microorganisms break down biodegradable material in the absence of oxygen. The process is used for industrial or domestic purposes to manage waste or to produce fuels. Much of the fermen ...

used to treat wastewater from a

tofu Tofu (), also known as bean curd in English, is a food prepared by coagulating soy milk and then pressing the resulting curds into solid white blocks of varying softness; it can be ''silken'', ''soft'', ''firm'', ''extra firm'' or ''super fi ...

farm. The species is thermophilic and can grow at a temperature of 49.5 °C. Strains of ''B. thermacidophilum'' have been experimentally used as

probiotic Probiotics are live microorganisms promoted with claims that they provide health benefits when consumed, generally by improving or restoring the gut microbiota. Probiotics are considered generally safe to consume, but may cause bacteria- host i ...

s. It was effective in reducing damage to the gut in a mouse model of ''E. coli'' infection. ''B. thermacidophilum'' has been divided into two subspecies: ''subsp. Porcinum'' and ''subsp. Thermacidophilum''.

References

External links

Type strain of ''Bartonella thermacidophilum'' at Bac''Dive'' - the Bacterial Diversity Metadatabase
Bifidobacteriales Bacteria described in 2000 {{actinobacteria-stub