Microaerophile

A microaerophile is a type of bacteria that requires oxygen, but in very low concentrations. The reason for this is that microaerophiles lack the enzymes needed to protect against oxygen toxicity.

Microaerophiles can grow at oxygen concentrations of 2-10%, while the oxygen concentration in the atmosphere is 21%. For their growth, the optimal oxygen concentration is 5-6%.

Microaerophiles include some types of bacteria, in particular Campylobacter, Helicobacter pylori, some types of streptococci and meningococci. They play an important role in medicine because they can cause various diseases.

Microaerophiles often live in places with low oxygen content - the intestines of humans and animals, in wounds, in the oral cavity. To grow them in the laboratory, special conditions with a low oxygen content are created.