Desulfovibrio piger is part of a group called Sulfate-reducing bacteria (=SRB). SRBs are normal inhabitants of the intestine in humans. This group of bacteria can “breathe” sulfate rather than oxygen. SRBs have been suspected to contribute to gastrointestinal disease due to the production of hydrogen sulfide, which can be considered toxic to the gut epithelium. Desulfovibrio piger is an SRB from the Proteobacterium phylum (deltaproteobacterium) and formerly known as Desulfomonas pigra, is a Gram-negative, nonmotile, rod-shaped bacterium 0.8 to 1.3 μm ×1.2 to 5 μm in size.

In a study highlighting its potential involvement in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs), Desulfovibrio piger‘s prevalence was shown to be significantly higher in IBD patients compared to healthy individuals or non-IBD patients [L].

References:

– Sulfate-reducing bacteria in human feces and their association with inflammatory bowel diseases [L]

– Desulfovibrio species are potentially important in regressive autism [L]

– Screening of sulfate-reducing bacteria in colonoscopy samples from healthy and colitic human gut mucosa. [L]

– Clinical significance of sulfate-reducing bacteria for ulcerative colitis [L]

– Sulfate-reducing bacteria colonize pouches formed for ulcerative colitis but not for familial adenomatous polyposis. [L]

– Diversity and distribution of sulphate-reducing bacteria in human feces from healthy subjects and patients with inflammatory bowel disease [L]

– Complete Genome Sequence of Desulfovibrio piger FI11049 [L]