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What Is Clostridium Acetobutylicum?

What Is Clostridium Acetobutylicum? thumbnail
Butanol produced by Clostridium acetobutylicum was used in car lacquers.

Clostridium acetobutylicum is a rod-shaped bacterium. In contrast to the two species of Clostridium that cause tetanus and botulism, C. acetobutylicum does not harm people in any way. Its fermentation products have proved useful in industry.

  1. Anaerobe

    • Clostridium acetobutylicum is an anaerobic bacterium. This means that it needs an oxygen-free environment in order to grow.

    Endospore

    • If C. acetobutylicum becomes subjected to oxygen, it forms a small, tough daughter cell within itself. Then it splits apart and releases the daughter cell, which is called an endospore.This endospore is dormant and can exist for a long time till anaerobic conditions allow it to germinate.

    Fermenting Agent

    • C. acetobutylicum breaks down sugars and starches and uses them as a source of energy. This process is called fermentation and results in such important byproducts as acetone, butanol and ethanol.

    Aid to Industry

    • C. acetobutylicum has been an aid to industry. Its acetone byproduct helped to make explosives during WW1. C. acetobutylicum served as a source of industrial acetone and butanol until petroleum replaced it as the source of these products in the 1950s.

    Potential Cancer Treatment

    • C. acetobutylicum has potential as a cancer treatment. When injected into the bloodstream, its endospores germinate only in anaerobic cancer tissue without harming normal tissue.

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  • Photo Credit antique wood car image by Nikolai Sorokin from Fotolia.com

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