RT Journal Article SR Electronic(1) A1 Lee, Yong-Jin A1 Dashti, Mona A1 Prange, Alexander A1 Rainey, Fred A. A1 Rohde, Manfred A1 Whitman, William B. A1 Wiegel, JuergenYR 2007 T1 Thermoanaerobacter sulfurigignens sp. nov., an anaerobic thermophilic bacterium that reduces 1 M thiosulfate to elemental sulfur and tolerates 90 mM sulfite JF International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology, VO 57 IS 7 SP 1429 OP 1434 DO https://doi.org/10.1099/ijs.0.64748-0 PB Microbiology Society, SN 1466-5034, AB Two anaerobic thermophilic bacteria, designated strains JW/SL824 and JW/SL-NZ826T, were isolated from an acidic volcanic steam outlet on White Island, New Zealand. Cells were rod-shaped, spore-forming, motile and Gram-stain negative, but contained Gram-type positive cell wall. Strain JW/SL-NZ826T utilized various carbohydrates including xylose and glucose. The fermentation end products produced from glucose in the absence of thiosulfate were lactate, ethanol, acetate, CO2 and H2. The temperature range for growth was 34–72 °C, with an optimum at 63–67 °C. The pH60 °C range for growth was 4.0–8.0, with an optimum at 5.0–6.5. The doubling time of strain JW/SL-NZ826T under optimal growth conditions was 2.4 h. The DNA G+C content was 34–35 mol% (HPLC). The two strains reduced up to 1 M thiosulfate to elemental sulfur without sulfide formation, which is a trend typically observed among species belonging to the genus Thermoanaerobacterium. Sulfur globules containing short and long sulfur chains but no S8-ring sulfur were produced inside and outside the cells. Up to 90 mM sulfite was tolerated. This tolerance is assumed to be an adaptation to the geochemistry of the environment of White Island. The 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, however, indicated that the two strains belonged to the genus Thermoanaerobacter, with similarities in the range 95.6–92.7 %. Therefore, strains JW/SL-NZ824 and JW/SL-NZ826T represent a novel taxon, for which the name Thermoanaerobacter sulfurigignens sp. nov. is proposed, with strain JW/SL-NZ826T (=ATCC 700320T=DSM 17917T) as the type strain. Based on this and previous studies, an emended description of the genus Thermoanaerobacter is given., UL https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/ijsem/10.1099/ijs.0.64748-0