Carbon Metabolism of Sulfate-Reducing Bacteria

In the nearly 100 years that sulfate-reducing bacteria have been studied in pure, or supposedly pure, cultures, our ideas about their carbon metabolism have gone through periods of sometimes slow but occasionally drastic changes. In the past 20 years it has become clear that (1) far more compounds can be oxidized by sulfate reducers than previously thought; (2) organic compounds can be oxidized completely, beyond the level of acetate, to CO2; and (3) some sulfate-reducing bacteria have the potential for fully autotrophic growth. Furthermore, the awareness has grown that a detailed knowledge of their carbon metabolism is required for a proper understanding of the bioenergetic aspects of sulfate reduction and of their role in nature.