[Relationship of hydrogen bacteria to carbon monoxide]

The purpose of this work was to study the ability of various cultures of hydrogen bacteria to grow in a gaseous mixture containing, apart from H2, O2 and CO2, carbon monoxide at a concentration of 10% (v/v) and higher. In contrast to CO-oxidizing bacteria, these organisms could not use CO as a sole source of energy. Among 17 studied strains of hydrogen bacteria, only those belonging to the group Alcaligenes eutrophus could withstand 10% of CO (v/v) in a gaseous mixture.