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Thermophilic anaerobic bacteria which ferment hemicellulose: characterization of organisms and identification of plasmids

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Abstract

Seven thermophilic anaerobic bacteria which ferment xylan were isolated from natural geothermal features in the western United States. Typically, these strains were Gram-negative non-sporeforming rods with an unusual double-layered cell wall which resembled that observed in Thermobacteroides acetoethylicus. The strains differed from known thermophilic anaerobes in their ability to utilize a very wide variety of carbohydrates and in their ability to grow in a chemically-defined medium and/or at pH 3.5. Four of the strains contained cryptic plasmids of 1.2 or 1.5×106 daltons. The taxonomic characteristics of the strains are discussed in terms of their relatedness to those of Thermoanaerobium, Thermoanaerobacter, and Thermobacteroides species.

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Contribution No. 3222 of the Central Research and Development Department

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Weimer, P.J., Wagner, L.W., Knowlton, S. et al. Thermophilic anaerobic bacteria which ferment hemicellulose: characterization of organisms and identification of plasmids. Arch. Microbiol. 138, 31–36 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00425403

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00425403

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