MESSAI.iO

Cable bacterium · Bidirectional EET · Sulfur oxidizer

Candidatus Electronema spp.

Also known as cable bacteria, Desulfobulbaceae filamentous

Thermodesulfobacteriota · Desulfobulbia · Desulfobulbaceae

ElectroactiveEET bidirectionalBSL-1Partial record
  • Cable bacteria
  • Long range EET
  • Filamentous
  • Novel EET
  • Tier 2
Bidirectional
Electron transfer
electroactive
15°C
Optimal temperature
grows 0–30 °C
7.5
Optimal pH
grows pH 6.5–8.5
10A/m2
Max current density
range 1–50

01 · Identity

Identity

Where this organism sits in the tree of life, how to obtain it, and what a cell looks like.

Lineage

  1. domainBacteria
  2. ›phylumThermodesulfobacteriota
  3. ›classDesulfobulbia
  4. ›orderDesulfobulbales
  5. ›familyDesulfobulbaceae
  6. ›genusCandidatus Electronema
  7. ›speciesCandidatus Electronema spp.

Culture collections & accessions

Cell morphology

Multicellular filament, Gram-negative (diderm)

length 15,000 (1000–50,000) µm

  • Motile: no
  • Spore-forming: no

02 · Electron transfer

Electron transfer

How electrons cross the cell envelope — the property that makes a microbe useful in an electrochemical system.

ElectroactiveEET bidirectional
CELLELECTRODEOUTER-MEMBRANE CYTOCHROMESe⁻e⁻NANOWIRE · PERIPLASMIC FIBERe⁻e⁻
Electrons flow both ways

Mechanisms

  • Outer-membrane cytochromes: yes
  • Conductive pili / nanowires: no

Other

Long range transport
Yes

03 · Growth envelope

Growth envelope

The conditions this organism tolerates and what it eats and breathes — the operating window for a reactor.

Facultative anaerobeChemolithoautotroph
Temperature15 (0–30) °C
0100 °C
pH7.5 (6.5–8.5)
014

Energy metabolism

Electron donors

  • Sulfide
  • H2S

Electron acceptors

  • O2
  • Nitrate

Carbon sources

  • CO2
  • Acetate

04 · Performance

Performance

Reported electrochemical output, the role it plays in a reactor, and what it produces.

Strong electrogen
10A/m2
Max current density
range 1–50 · per projected anode area

05 · Ecology & biofilm

Ecology & biofilm

How it lives on an electrode, who it partners with, and where it is found in nature.

Biofilm

Biofilm conductivity

100 (1–10,000) S/m

Ecosystems

  • Marine
  • Freshwater
  • Soil
  • Sediment marine
  • Sediment freshwater
  • Rhizosphere

Isolation sources

  • marine sediment
  • freshwater sediment
  • rhizosphere of aquatic plants

06 · Applications, engineering & safety

Applications, engineering & safety

Where it has been put to work, how tractable it is to engineer, and what handling it requires.

Applications (2)

  • Bioremediation metals
    TRL 2/9
  • Research model organism

Biosafety

BSL-1
  • Pathogen: no

07 · Sources & data quality

Sources & data quality

Every value above traces to a citation. This is how complete and how confident the record is.

Record quality

PartialMedium confidenceCurated: manual

Literature reviewed 2026-04-26 · schema v1.2.0 · updated 2026-04-28 · imported 2026-04-28

References (4)

  1. Pfeffer C, et al. (2012). Filamentous bacteria transport electrons over centimetre distances. Nature 491:218-221.doi:10.1038/nature11586
  2. Pfeffer C, et al. (2012). Filamentous bacteria transport electrons over centimetre distances. Nature 491:218-221.doi:10.1038/nature11586
  3. Kjeldsen KU, et al. (2019). On the evolution and physiology of cable bacteria. PNAS 116:19116-19125.doi:10.1073/pnas.1903514116
  4. Kjeldsen KU, et al. (2019). On the evolution and physiology of cable bacteria. PNAS 116:19116-19125.doi:10.1073/pnas.1903514116