Microaerophile

A microaerophile is a microorganism that requires oxygen to survive, but requires environments containing lower levels of oxygen than are present in the atmosphere (~20% concentration). Many microphiles are also capnophiles, as they require an elevated concentration of carbon dioxide. In the laboratory they can be easily cultivated in a candle jar. A candle jar is a container into which a lit candle is introduced before sealing the container's airtight lid. The candle's flame burns until extinguished by oxygen deprivation, which creates a carbon dioxide-rich, oxygen-poor atmosphere in the jar.

Examples

Examples include:

• Borrelia burgdorferi, a species of spirochaete bacteria that causes Lyme disease in humans.
• Helicobacter pylori, a species of proteobacteria that has been linked to peptic ulcers and some types of gastritis. Some don't consider it a true obligate microaerophile.^[1]
• Campylobacter has been described as microaerophilic.^[2]
• Streptococcus intermedius has also been described as microaerophilic.
• Streptococcus pyogenes, a well known microaerophile that causes streptococcal pharyngitis.

See also

• Aerotolerant organism
• Aerobic organism
• Anaerobic organism
• Facultative anaerobic organism
• Fermentation (biochemistry)

References

External links

• Characterization of an unclassified microaerophilic bacterium associated with gastroenteritis.