The family syntrophorhabdaceae

Abstract

Syntrophorhabdaceae, a family within the order Syntrophobacterales (Kuever J, Rainey FA, Widdel F (2005) Order VI Syntrophobacterales ord. nov. In: Brenner DJ, Krieg NR, Staley JT, Garrity GM (eds) Bergey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology, vol 2, 2nd edn, The Proteobacteria, part C (The Alpha-, Beta-, Delta-, and Epsilonproteobacteria). Springer, New York, p. 1021; Kuever et al. 2006), embraces a single genus Syntrophorhabdus. Besides their 16s rRNA gene sequence phylogeny, the only member of this family is defined by a wide range of morphological and chemotaxonomic properties for the delineation of genera and species. Strictly anaerobic. Growth only in the presence of an H2-scavenging partner organism in a syntrophic mode. Anthraquinone-2,6-disulfonate (AQDS) is used as electron acceptor although growth in pure culture was not observed. The only described member is mesophilic. Members of the family are found predominantly in freshwater habitats like sewage sludge. The only described species is chemoorganoheterotroph and oxidizes organic substrates incompletely to acetate in syntrophy with a H2 scavenger (e.g., Methanospirillum hungatei or a Desulfovibrio sp.) or with AQDS as electron acceptor (Qiu et al. 2008).