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Sulfur-reducing bacteria (SRB) get their energy by reducing elemental sulfur (S0) to hydrogen sulfide (H2S). Only few taxons are true sulfur reducers bacteria, that use sulfur respiration as the only or the main catabolic reaction. They usually couple this reaction with the oxidation of acetate, succinate or other organic compounds.

Some bacteria – such as Proteus, Campylobacter, Pseudomonas and Salmonella – have the ability to reduce sulfur, but can also use oxygen and other terminal electron acceptors. Others, such as Desulfuromonas, use only sulfur.

Some bacteria can use both elemental sulfur and sulfate as electron acceptors. See sulfate-reducing bacteria.

Ecology
Solfataric fields host a large number of extremely thermophilic bacteria, capable to reduce volcanic sulfur. An example is Desulfurella acetivorans, a Gram-negative bacterium, isolated from the Uzon caldere (Kamchatka), that reduces elemental sulfur with acetate and produces H2S and CO2.

SRB can be used in industrial processes to generate hydrogen sulfide for the precipitation of metals.

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