Methanothermobacter thermautotrophicus str. Delta H

Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum is a strictly anaerobic rod-shaped archaebacterium which optimally lives at 65oC. These chemoautotrophs require only CO2, H2, and salts for growth.Cell walls appear to be Gram positive, but are composed of pseudomurein rather than peptidoglycan. They are non-motile and flagella are absent. Metabolism is strictly anaerobic and H2 and/or formate are used as an electron donor. All species grow with H2 and CO2 as a substrate for methanogenesis. Cells are mesophillic or thermophillic. All species fail to grow under aerobic conditions and most are acid tolerant (will grow at pH less than 5). There are 12 species of genus Methanobacterium and they have been isolated from aneraobic digestors, sewage sludge, manure, groundwater, and formation water of oil-bearing rocks. (From http://web.umr.edu/~microbio/BIO221_2002/Methanobacterium_thermoautotrophicum.htm) (BacMap)