Sulfate-reducing bacteria
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Sulfate-reducing bacteria comprise several groups of bacteria that use sulfate as an oxidizing agent, reducing it to sulfide. Most can also use oxidized sulfur compounds such as sulfite and thiosulfate, or elemental sulfur. This is called dissimilatory sulfur metabolism, since it is not assimilated into any organic compounds. Sulphate-reducing bacteria have been considered as a possible way to deal with acid mine waters other bacteria produce.
The sulfate-reducing have been treated as phenotypic group, together with the other sulfur-reducing bacteria, for identification purposes. They are found in several different phylogenetic lines. Three lines are included among the Proteobacteria, all in the delta subgroup:
A fourth group including thermophiles is given its own phylum, the Thermodesulfobacteria. The remaining sulfate-reducers are included with other bacteria among the Nitrospirae and the gram-positive Peptococcaceae - for instance Thermodesulfovibrio and Desulfotomaculum, respectively. There is also a single genus of Archaea capable of sulfate reduction, Archaeoglobus.
