Clostridium

Clostridium
SEM micrograph of Clostridium difficile colonies from a stool sample.
Scientific classification
Domain:	Bacteria
Phylum:	Firmicutes
Class:	Clostridia
Order:	Clostridiales
Family:	Clostridiaceae
Genus:	Clostridium Prazmowski 1880

Clostridium is a genus of bacteria. Clostridium bacteria are obligate anaerobes, which means they do not need oxygen to grow.^[1]

Clostridium bacteria are shaped like rods. The name "Clostridium" comes from the Greek word kloster (κλωστήρ), which means "spindle."

Clostridium bacteria are gram-positive and can produce endospores.^[2][3]

1. ↑ They cannot tolerate oxygen.
2. ↑ Ryan, Kenneth James; Ray, C. George; Sherris, John C. (2004). Sherris medical microbiology (4th ed.). McGraw Hill. ISBN 978-0-8385-8529-0.
3. ↑ Bruggemann, Holger; Gottschalk, Gerhard (2009). Clostridia: molecular biology in the post-genomic era. Caister Academic Press. ISBN 978-1-904455-38-7.