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The Family Gallionellaceae

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Abstract

The family Gallionellaceae comprises the genus Gallionella with one established type species, Gallionella ferruginea. The phylogenetic position of Gallionellaceae, as determined by 16S-rDNA sequence comparisons, is among the β-proteobacteria. Its phylogenetic neighbors are Methylophilaceae, Nitrosomonadaceae, and Spirillaceae. The family contains gram-negative, chemolithoautotrophic, neutrophilic, and aerobic ferrous iron-oxidizing bacteria with the ability to secrete an extracellular twisted stalk composed of numerous fibers. Gallionellaceae can be found where anaerobic groundwater containing ferrous iron reaches an environment that contains oxygen. Large amounts of stalk material are usually produced; this material attracts iron hydroxides and many trace metals, giving it a brown, macroscopic appearance. The stalk and iron hydroxide masses formed may eventually cause severe clogging of ditches, drinking-water wells, and any other facilities utilizing iron-bearing, anaerobic groundwater. The family is relevant to biotechnological processes, as it can be used to remove ferrous iron when producing drinking water from groundwater.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Microbial Analytics Sweden AB (MICANS), Mölnlycke fabriker 9, SE-435 35, Mölnlycke, Sweden

    Lotta Hallbeck & Karsten Pedersen

  2. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, Göteborg, Sweden

    Karsten Pedersen

Authors
  1. Lotta Hallbeck
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  2. Karsten Pedersen
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Lotta Hallbeck .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Molecular Microbiology and Biotechnology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel

    Eugene Rosenberg

  2. Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA

    Edward F. DeLong

  3. Center for Microbial Oceanography: Research and Education, University of Hawaii, Manoa, Honolulu, HI, USA

    Edward F. DeLong

  4. Department of Microbiology and Immunobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Stephen Lory

  5. Leibniz Institute DSMZ-German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures, Braunschweig, Germany

    Erko Stackebrandt

  6. Laboratory of Microbiology, Institute of Biology, Center for Health Sciences, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Ilha do Fundão, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Fabiano Thompson

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Hallbeck, L., Pedersen, K. (2014). The Family Gallionellaceae. In: Rosenberg, E., DeLong, E.F., Lory, S., Stackebrandt, E., Thompson, F. (eds) The Prokaryotes. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-30197-1_398

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