MESSAI.iO

Electrogen · Bidirectional EET · Sulfate reducer

Desulfovibrio vulgaris Hildenborough

Thermodesulfobacteriota · Desulfovibrionia · Desulfovibrionaceae

ElectroactiveEET bidirectionalBSL-1Partial record
  • Sulfate reducer
  • Srb
  • Tier 2
  • Syntrophic
Bidirectional
Electron transfer
electroactive
35°C
Optimal temperature
grows 25–40 °C
7.2
Optimal pH
grows pH 6–8

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. ›classDesulfovibrionia
  4. ›orderDesulfovibrionales
  5. ›familyDesulfovibrionaceae
  6. ›genusDesulfovibrio
  7. ›speciesDesulfovibrio vulgaris Hildenborough

Culture collections & accessions

ATCC
ATCC 29579
NCBI taxon
882
Genome
GCF_000195755.1

Cell morphology

Vibrio (curved rod), Gram-negative (diderm)

  • Motile: yes
  • 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 CYTOCHROMESTpII-c3Hmc complexDsrCe⁻e⁻SOLUBLE SHUTTLESsulfidepolysulfidee⁻e⁻
Electrons flow both ways

Mechanisms

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

03 · Growth envelope

Growth envelope

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

MesophileObligate anaerobeChemoorganoheterotroph
Temperature35 (25–40) °C
0100 °C
pH7.2 (6–8)
014

Energy metabolism

Electron donors

  • Lactate
  • H2
  • Formate
  • Pyruvate

Electron acceptors

  • Sulfate
  • Thiosulfate
  • Sulfite
  • Anode
  • Fe(III)
  • U(VI)

Carbon sources

  • Lactate
  • Pyruvate
  • Ethanol
  • Formate
  • H2
  • Respiratory: yes
  • Fermentative: yes

Metabolism — detail

ATP synthase type
Proton dependent

04 · Performance

Performance

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

Moderate electrogen
100mW/m2
Max power density
range 13–680 · per projected anode area

Role in a reactor

Anode: supporting anode biofilm

Substrate → product (4)

  • lactateyields
    • Acetate
    • CO2
    • H2

    syntrophic, no sulfate · Produces H2 for syntrophic partners when no sulfate.

  • lactateyields
    • Acetate
    • CO2
    • Sulfide

    with sulfate · Sulfate respiration.

  • lactateyields
    • Acetate
    • CO2
    • Sulfide

    with sulfate · Sulfate respiration.

  • lactateyields
    • Acetate
    • CO2
    • H2

    syntrophic, no sulfate · Produces H2 for syntrophic partners when no sulfate.

05 · Ecology & biofilm

Ecology & biofilm

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

Biofilm

  • Forms biofilm: yes

Preferred electrode materials

  • carbon cloth
  • Graphite
Syntrophic partners
RelationshipTransfer carrierPartner scientific name
H2 producer for hydrogenotrophic methanogens in sulfate-limited conditionsH2hydrogenotrophic methanogens

Ecosystems

  • Soil
  • Wastewater
  • Marine
  • Subsurface
  • Anaerobic digester

Isolation sources

  • clay soil near Hildenborough, Kent, UK

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 (3)

  • Wastewater treatment
    TRL 4/9
  • Bioremediation metals
    TRL 4/9
  • Bioelectricity generation
    TRL 3/9

Engineering

Engineered strains publishedIndustrial relevance 3/5

Reactor compatibility

  • MFC dual chamber
  • MEC

Genetics

  • Genetically tractable: yes

qPCR targets

  • dsrAB
  • apsA

Biosafety

BSL-1
  • Pathogen: no

Modeling assets

Linked GEM: iJL846

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. Postgate JR (1984). The Sulphate-Reducing Bacteria, 2nd ed. Cambridge University Press.
  2. Postgate JR (1984). The Sulphate-Reducing Bacteria, 2nd ed. Cambridge University Press.
  3. Yang G, et al. (2024). Co-occurrence of direct and indirect EET in DvH. Microbiol Spectr.doi:10.1128/spectrum.01226-24
  4. Yang G, et al. (2024). Co-occurrence of direct and indirect EET in DvH. Microbiol Spectr.doi:10.1128/spectrum.01226-24