Anaerobic ammonium-oxidizing (anammox) bacteria defy many microbiological concepts and share numerous properties with both eukaryotes and archaea. Among their most intriguing characteristics are their compartmentalized cell plan and archaeon-like cell wall. Here we review our current knowledge about anammox cell biology. The anammox cell is divided into three separate compartments by bilayer me...

Wastewater from an anaerobic treatment plant at a slaughterhouse was analysed to determine the bacterial biodiversity present. Molecular analysis of the anaerobic sludge obtained from the treatment plant showed significant diversity, as 27 different phyla were identified. Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Thermotogae, Euryarchaeota (methanogens), and msbl6 (candidate division) were the...

The purpose of this research was to develop a better understanding of the dynamic effects of anaerobic hydraulic retention time (HRT) on both enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) performance and enrichment of phosphorus accumulating organisms (PAOs). The research was conducted using laboratory-scale sequencing batch reactors inoculated with mixed microbial consortia and fed real wastew...

The ability of several anaerobic bacteria to hydrolyze esculin to esculetin is used by clinical microbiologists and taxonomists in the differentiation and identification of both gram-positive and gram-negative microorganisms. Conventional methods used for determining esculin hydrolysis by anaerobic bacteria require 24 to 48 h for completion. In this paper we evaluate two procedures which yield ...

Methionine gamma-lyase, the enzyme which catalyzes the single-step conversion of methionine to alpha-ketobutyrate, ammonia, and methanethiol, is highly active in many anaerobic pathogenic microorganisms but has no counterpart in mammals. This study tested the hypothesis that this pathogen-specific enzyme can be exploited as a drug target by prodrugs that are exclusively activated by it. Trifluo...

The potential for microbially mediated anaerobic redox cycling of iron (Fe) was examined in a first-generation enrichment culture of freshwater wetland sediment microorganisms. Most probable number enumerations revealed the presence of significant populations of Fe(III)-reducing (approximately 10(8) cells ml(-1)) and Fe(II)-oxidizing, nitrate-reducing organisms (approximately 10(5) cells ml(-1)...

Anaerobic digestion (AD) is a biological process in which organic wastes are converted into gases such as CH4, CO2, and H2S by microorganisms. In AD, using additives widespread approach to improve the anaerobic environment of microbial communities, increase microorganisms' activity, provide more biogas production. This study investigates effects adding electric arc furnace slag (EAFS) an additi...

The microbial consumption of oxalate was examined under anaerobic conditions in soil suspensions at 15-20 degrees C. With soil (horizon Ah, pH 6.4) from a beech forest, microbial consumption of added oxalate (15mM) began after 10days, and oxalate was totally consumed by day 20. The presence of supplemental electron donors (acetate, glucose, vanillate, or hydrogen) or electron acceptors (nitrate...

Sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) are traditionally considered as strict anaerobic microorganisms. But there are a lot of data up to date about survival and metabolic activity of SRB in biotopes periodically exposed to oxygen. The main factor of O2 toxicity is the action of products of oxygen incomplete reduction, so called the reactive oxygen species (superoxide anion radical, hydrogen peroxide ...

The results for 281,797 blood culture sets of specimens collected from adult patients at the Mayo Clinic over an approximately 8-year period (1 November 1984 through 30 November 1992) were analyzed in order to determine whether there were differences in the types of microorganisms isolated over this time and to assess the usefulness of anaerobic culturing of blood. Each blood culture set consis...