Nitrobacteraceae

{{Short description|Family of bacteria}}

{{Automatic taxobox

| taxon = Nitrobacteraceae

| authority = corrig. Buchanan 1917 (Approved Lists 1980)

| subdivision_ranks = Genera{{cite web|vauthors=Euzéby JP, Parte AC |url=https://lpsn.dsmz.de/family/nitrobacteraceae |title=Nitrobacteraceae |access-date=May 15, 2021 |publisher=List of Prokaryotic names with Standing in Nomenclature (LPSN)}}

| subdivision =

• Afipia Brenner et al. 1992

• Blastobacter Zavarzin 1961 (Approved Lists 1980)
• Bradyrhizobium Jordan 1982

• Nitrobacter Winogradsky 1892 (Approved Lists 1980)

• Pseudolabrys Kämpfer et al. 2006
• Pseudorhodoplanes Tirandaz et al. 2015
• Rhodoplanes Hiraishi and Ueda 1994
• Rhodopseudomonas Czurda and Maresch 1937 (Approved Lists 1980)
• Tardiphaga De Meyer et al. 2012
• Variibacter Kim et al. 2014

| synonyms =

• Nitrobacteriaceae Buchanan 1917 (Approved Lists 1980)
• Bradyrhizobiaceae Garrity et al. 2006

}}

The Nitrobacteraceae are a family of gram-negative, aerobic bacteria. They include plant-associated bacteria such as Bradyrhizobium, a genus of rhizobia associated with some legumes. It also contains animal-associated bacteria such as Afipia felis, formerly thought to cause cat-scratch disease. Others are free-living, such as Rhodopseudomonas, a purple bacterium found in marine water and soils. The strain Rhodopseudomonas palustris DX-1 can generate an electric current with no hydrogen production, a trait being explored in the development of the microbial fuel cell.{{cite journal |author1=Defeng Xing |author2=Yi Zuo |author3=Shaoan Cheng |author4=John M. Regan |author5=Bruce E. Logan |name-list-style=amp |year=2008 |title=Electricity Generation by Rhodopseudomonas palustris DX-1 |journal=Environ. Sci. Technol. |volume=42 |pages=4146–51 |doi=10.1021/es800312v |pmid=18589979 |issue=11 |bibcode=2008EnST...42.4146X }} The genus Afipia has also been found in the atmosphere, where it uses methylsulfonylmethane as a carbon source.{{cite journal |last1=DeLeon-Rodriguez |first1=Natasha |last2=Lathem |first2=Terry L. |last3=Rodriguez-R |first3=Luis M. |last4=Barazesh |first4=James M. |last5=Anderson |first5=Bruce E. |last6=Beyersdorf |first6=Andreas J. |last7=Ziemba |first7=Luke D. |last8=Bergin |first8=Michael |last9=Nenes |first9=Athanasios |last10=Konstantinidis |first10=Konstantinos T. |title=Microbiome of the upper troposphere: Species composition and prevalence, effects of tropical storms, and atmospheric implications |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |date=12 February 2013 |volume=110 |issue=7 |pages=2575–2580 |doi=10.1073/pnas.1212089110 |url=https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1212089110 |access-date=12 January 2024|pmc=3574924 }}

The bacteria of this family derive their energy from oxidizing ammonia to nitrite, or by oxidizing nitrite to nitrate. They are commonly found in freshwater and soil.