''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 wa ...

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. Together, ...

. ''

Thiobacillus thioparus ''Thiobacillus'' is a genus of Gram-negative Betaproteobacteria. '' Thiobacillus thioparus'' is the type species of the genus, and the type strain thereof is the StarkeyT strain, isolated by Robert Starkey in the 1930s from a field at Rutgers U ...

'' 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 land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and wa ...

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 territor ...

. 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 "' ...

in 1904, (the first strain was observed by the biological oceanographer

Alexander Nathansohn Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...

in 1902 - likely what we would now call '' Halothiobacillus neapolitanus''), most names were never validly or effectively published. The remainder were either reclassified into '' Paracoccus'', ''

Starkeya ''Starkeya'' is a genus of bacteria from the family of Xanthobacteraceae The Xanthobacteraceae are a family of bacteria. Among others, they include '' Azorhizobium'', a genus of rhizobia. ''Xanthobacteraceae'' is a diverse group of Gram-n ...

'' (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 ...

); '' Sulfuriferula'', '' Annwoodia'', '' Thiomonas'' (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, b ...

'', ''

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 concen ...

'' (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'' 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). The very loosely defined "species" ''

Thiobacillus trautweinii ''Thiobacillus'' is a genus of Gram-negative Betaproteobacteria. ''Thiobacillus thioparus'' is the type species of the genus, and the type strain thereof is the StarkeyT strain, isolated by Robert Starkey in the 1930s from a field at Rutgers Uni ...

'' 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-phospha ...

form of the

Calvin-Benson-Bassham cycle The Calvin cycle, light-independent reactions, bio synthetic phase, dark reactions, or photosynthetic carbon reduction (PCR) cycle of photosynthesis is a series of chemical reactions that convert carbon dioxide and hydrogen-carrier compounds into ...

) 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''. 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, 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 ...

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 t ...

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 r ...

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

Thiobacillus versutus ''Thiobacillus'' is a genus of Gram-negative Betaproteobacteria. ''Thiobacillus thioparus'' is the type species of the genus, and the type strain thereof is the StarkeyT strain, isolated by Robert Starkey in the 1930s from a field at Rutger ...

'' to '' Paracoccus'' *''

Thiobacillus acidophilus ''Thiobacillus'' is a genus of Gram-negative Betaproteobacteria. ''Thiobacillus thioparus'' is the type species of the genus, and the type strain thereof is the StarkeyT strain, isolated by Robert Starkey in the 1930s from a field at Rutgers Un ...

'' 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) reducti ...

'' *'' Thiobacillus intermedius'', '' Thiobacillus perometabolis'', ''

Thiobacillus thermosulfatus ''Thiomonas thermosulfata'' is a Gram-negative, non-spore-forming bacterium from the genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hiera ...

'', and ''

Thiobacilus cuprinus ''Thiomonas cuprina'' is an As(III)-oxidizing bacterium from the genus ''Thiomonas''. It is proposed to be reclassified, along with ''Thiomonas arsenivorans'', as strains of ''Thiomonas delicata ''Thiomonas delicata'' is an As(III)-oxidi ...

'' to '' Thiomonas'' *'' Thiobacillus thiooxidans'', '' Thiobacillus ferrooxidans'', ''

Thiobacillus caldus ''Acidithiobacillus caldus'' formerly belonged to the genus ''Thiobacillus'' prior to 2000, when it was reclassified along with a number of other bacterial species into one of three new genera that better categorize sulfur-oxidizing acidophiles. ...

'', and ''

Thiobacillus albertensis ''Thiobacillus'' is a genus of Gram-negative Betaproteobacteria. ''Thiobacillus thioparus'' is the type species of the genus, and the type strain thereof is the StarkeyT strain, isolated by Robert Starkey in the 1930s from a field at Rutger ...

'' to ''

'' *'' Thiobacillus aquaesulis'' to '' Annwoodia aquaesulis''. *''

Thiobacillus neapolitanus ''Thiobacillus'' is a genus of Gram-negative Betaproteobacteria. ''Thiobacillus thioparus'' is the type species of the genus, and the type strain thereof is the StarkeyT strain, isolated by Robert Starkey in the 1930s from a field at Rutgers Un ...

'' to ''

'' *'' Thiobacillus thyasiris'' to '' Thiomicrospira thyasirae'' *''

Thiobacillus hydrothermalis ''Thiobacillus'' is a genus of Gram-negative Betaproteobacteria. ''Thiobacillus thioparus'' is the type species of the genus, and the type strain thereof is the StarkeyT strain, isolated by Robert Starkey in the 1930s from a field at Rutgers Un ...

'' and '' Thiobacillus halophilus'' firstly to ''

'' and later to ''

'' *''

Thiobacillus tepidarius ''Thermithiobacillus tepidarius'' (from the Latin ''tepidarium''; a warm bath fed by natural thermal water) is a member of the '' Acidithiobacillia'' isolated from the thermal groundwaters of the Roman Baths at Bath, Somerset, United Kingdom. ...

'' to '' Thermithiobacillus

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2421263 Nitrosomonadales Betaproteobacteria Bacteria genera