| Cross Index | Desulfococcus |
| SuperSet | Prokaryote, Eubacteria Dissimilatory Sulfate or Sulfur-Reducing Bacteria |
| Compare | Desulferella acetivorans ,Desulfobacter Desulfobacterium, Desulfobulbus, Desulfococcus Desulfomicrobium Desulfomonas pigra reclassified as DesulfovibrioDesulfomonile tiedjei , Desulfonema ,Desulfosarcina variabilis Desulfotomaculum, Desulfovibrio Desulfuromonas acetoxidans Thermodesulfobacterium |
| Contrast | Archaea |
| Subset |
| Morphology | Desulfococcus |
| CELLULAR |
| Staining | Gram-negative |
| Morphology | Spherical cells, 1.5-2.2 um in diameter. Occur singly or in pairs.. |
| Motility | Generally nonmotile, but slowly motile cells have been observed in some of the strains and enrichment cultures. motile by a single motile flagellum |
| Specialized structures | Spore formation is not observed. Cells often contain granules of poly-B-hydroxybutyrate. |
| Division |
| COLONIAL |
| Solid surface | Colonies in anaerobic agar media are whitish or greyish to yellowish and tend to be slimy. |
| Liquid |
| Growth Parameters | Desulfococcus |
| PHYSIOLOGICAL |
| Tropism | Chemoorganotrophic, using formate, acetate, propionate, butyrate, higher fatty acids, lactate, pyruvate, alcohols, benzoate or similar aromatic compounds as carbon sources and also as electron donors for anaerobic respiration; these compounds are completely oxidized to CO2. Sulfate and other oxidized sulfur compounds serve as terminal electron acceptors and are reduced to H2S. In the absence of an external electron acceptor, growth occurs by fermentation of lactate or pyruvate to acetate and propionate. |
| Oxygen | Strictly anaerobic, having both a respiratory and a fermentative type of metabolism. Utilize protein, peptides or carbohydrates facultatively by sulfur respiration or fermentation |
| pH | |
| Temperature | Optimum temperature, 28-35 oC |
| Requirements | Media containing a reductant and vitamins are necessary for growth may |
| Products | desulfovirdin present in all species except Desulfuococcus niacini |
| Enzymes | |
| Unique features | nutritionally versitile, many species use formate and higher monocarboxylic acids to to C16, lactate or ehtanol as electron donors,. Benzoate or similar aromatic compounds can be used as carbon sources and also as electron donors |
| ENVIRONMENTAL |
| Habitat | Occur in anaerobic mud from freshwater, brackish water and marine habitats; also occur in sludge from anaerobic sewage digesters. |
| Lifestyle | |
| Pathogenicity |
| Distribution |
| Genome | Desulfococcus |
| G+C Mol % | 57.4 (Tm) |
| for type strain |
| Reference | Desulfococcus |
| First citation | Widdel, F. 1981. Anaerober Abbau von Fettsauren und Benzoesaure durch neu Isolierte Arten Sulfat-reduzierender Bakterien. Dissertation. Georg-August-Univeritat zu Gottingen. Lindhorst/Schumburg-Lippe, Gottingen |
| The Prokaryotes | p |
| Bergey's Systematatic | p 673 F. Widdel and N. Pfennig |
| Bergey's Determinative | p 338 |
| References |