''Nitrosomonas europaea'' is a

Gram-negative Gram-negative bacteria are bacteria that do not retain the crystal violet stain used in the Gram staining method of bacterial differentiation. They are characterized by their cell envelopes, which are composed of a thin peptidoglycan cell wall ...

obligate

chemolithoautotroph A lithoautotroph is an organism which derives energy from reactions of reduced compounds of mineral (inorganic) origin. Two types of lithoautotrophs are distinguished by their energy source; photolithoautotrophs derive their energy from light while ...

that can derive all its energy and reductant for growth from the oxidation of

ammonia Ammonia is an inorganic compound of nitrogen and hydrogen with the formula . A stable binary hydride, and the simplest pnictogen hydride, ammonia is a colourless gas with a distinct pungent smell. Biologically, it is a common nitrogenous was ...

to nitrite and lives in several places such as

soil Soil, also commonly referred to as earth or dirt, is a mixture of organic matter, minerals, gases, liquids, and organisms that together support life. Some scientific definitions distinguish ''dirt'' from ''soil'' by restricting the former te ...

sewage Sewage (or domestic sewage, domestic wastewater, municipal wastewater) is a type of wastewater that is produced by a community of people. It is typically transported through a sewer system. Sewage consists of wastewater discharged from residenc ...

, freshwater, the walls of buildings and on the surface of monuments especially in polluted areas where the air contains high levels of

nitrogen Nitrogen is the chemical element with the symbol N and atomic number 7. Nitrogen is a nonmetal and the lightest member of group 15 of the periodic table, often called the pnictogens. It is a common element in the universe, estimated at se ...

compounds. Due to the large amounts of ammonia this

bacterium Bacteria (; singular: bacterium) are ubiquitous, mostly free-living organisms often consisting of one biological cell. They constitute a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria were among ...

needs to consume for energy to divide, cell division can take up to several days. This is perhaps one reason why this microbe is not studied very much. This microbe has been shown to be an ammonia-oxidizing soil bacterium and it is known to have a range of substrates that might be useful in

bioremediation Bioremediation broadly refers to any process wherein a biological system (typically bacteria, microalgae, fungi, and plants), living or dead, is employed for removing environmental pollutants from air, water, soil, flue gasses, industrial effluent ...

. Several studies are still being done with the bacterium, but will take some time due to the slow cell division rate and the high amounts of nitrogen needed to live. While not using

photosynthesis Photosynthesis is a process used by plants and other organisms to convert light energy into chemical energy that, through cellular respiration, can later be released to fuel the organism's activities. Some of this chemical energy is stored i ...

for energy is not unique, "burning" ammonia with oxygen is. Both are characteristics of ''Nitrosomonas europaea''. This microbe tolerates a pH of 6.0-9.0, the optimal conditions being slightly basic; has an

aerobic metabolism Cellular respiration is the process by which biological fuels are oxidised in the presence of an inorganic electron acceptor such as oxygen to produce large amounts of energy, to drive the bulk production of ATP. Cellular respiration may be des ...

; and prefers a temperature between 20-30 degrees Celsius. Most are mobile with

flagella A flagellum (; ) is a hairlike appendage that protrudes from certain plant and animal sperm cells, and from a wide range of microorganisms to provide motility. Many protists with flagella are termed as flagellates. A microorganism may have f ...

located in the polar regions although some species are nonmobile. The reaction catalysed by these bacteria is the first step in the oxidation of ammonia to nitrate. ''Nitrosomonas europaea'' are also important in the treatment of industrial and sewage waste in the first step of oxidizing ammonia to nitrate. Evidence suggests that ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) contribute significantly to the global production of

nitrous oxide Nitrous oxide (dinitrogen oxide or dinitrogen monoxide), commonly known as laughing gas, nitrous, or nos, is a chemical compound, an oxide of nitrogen with the formula . At room temperature, it is a colourless non-flammable gas, and has a ...

(produced by the reduction of nitrite). Other evidence reveals that AOB are a possible source of nitric oxide via the oxidation of ammonia. ''Nitrosomonas europaea'' is also capable of degrading

benzene Benzene is an organic chemical compound with the molecular formula C6H6. The benzene molecule is composed of six carbon atoms joined in a planar ring with one hydrogen atom attached to each. Because it contains only carbon and hydrogen atoms, ...

as well as a variety of halogenated organic compounds, including

trichloroethylene The chemical compound trichloroethylene is a halocarbon commonly used as an industrial solvent. It is a clear, colourless non-flammable liquid with a chloroform-like sweet smell. It should not be confused with the similar 1,1,1-trichloroethane, w ...

and

vinyl chloride Vinyl chloride is an organochloride with the formula H2C=CHCl. It is also called vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) or chloroethene. This colorless compound is an important industrial chemical chiefly used to produce the polymer polyvinyl chloride (PVC ...

. The ability of nitrifying organisms to degrade some pollutants may make these organisms attractive for controlled bioremediation in nitrifying soils and waters. ''Nitrosomonas europaea'' is also accountable for nitric acid production which can cause the dissolution of some stone and other construction materials found on statues and in buildings.

References

*
Nitrosomas europaea Genetic Code
by th
Joint Genome Project

External links

Type strain of ''Nitrosomonas europaea'' at Bac''Dive'' - the Bacterial Diversity Metadatabase
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1123676 Lithoautotrophs Nitrosomonadaceae Bacteria described in 1892