Phylogeny of sulfate-reducing bacteria

Sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) are a diverse group of prokaryotes that may be divided into four groups based on rRNA sequence analysis: Gram-negative mesophilic SRB; Gram-positive spore forming SRB; thermophilic bacterial SR B, and thermophilic archaeal SRB. In this review, we have assembled represe ntative 16S rRNA sequences reported to date for SRB and have constructed ph ylogenetic trees from these sequences. Physiological characteristics partic ular to each of these groups are discussed, as is the availability of teste d group-specific phylogenetic probes and PCR primers directed toward indivi dual groups. (C) 2000 Federation of European Microbiological Societies. Pub lished by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.