Oxidation of hydrogen and reduction of methanol to methane is the sole energy source for a methanogen isolated from human feces

Abstract

A methanogenic coccus isolated from human feces requires H2 and CH3OH for growth and uses H2 to reduce CH3OH to CH4. Growth does not occur with CH3OH alone. The organism does not grow or produce CH4 from acetate or methylamines without or with H2 or from H2 and CO2 or formate. In a complex medium, CO2 is required for formation of approximately 50% of cell carbon, whereas the methyl carbon from methanol is not incorporated into cell carbon.