Oxidation of Ammonia by Nitrosomonas and of Inorganic Sulfur by Thiobacilli

Abstract

Inorganic nitrogen and sulfur Compounds exist in nature in various oxidation states and the reduced compounds are used by chemolithotrophic bacteria as sole source of energy for growth. Thus ammonia is oxidized to nitrite by Nitrosomonas and further to nitrate by Nitrobacter. Sulfide, sulfur, and thiosulfate are oxidized by thiobacilli to sulfate. Interestingly the oxidation of both nitrogen and sulfur Compounds starts with the oxygenation of reduced substrates, NH3 and SO;, in Nitrosomonas europaea and Thiobacillus thiooxidans, respectively. A possible interaction between nitrogen and sulfur compounds takes place in Thiobacillus denitrificans where reduced sulfur compounds are oxidized with nitrate.KeywordsNitric OxideSulfur CompoundPotassium PhosphateAmmonia OxidationNADH OxidationThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.