Arcobacter

Arcobacter is a genus of Gram-negative, spiral-shaped bacteria in the epsilonproteobacteria class. It shows an unusually wide range of habitats, and some species can be human and animal pathogens. Species of the genus Arcobacter are found in both animal and environmental sources, making it unique among the epsilonproteobacteria. This genus currently consists of five species: A. butzleri, A. cryaerophilus, A. skirrowii, A. nitrofigilis, and A. sulfidicus, although several other potential novel species have recently been described from varying environments. Three of these five known species are pathogenic. Members of this genus were first isolated in 1977 from aborted bovine fetuses. They are aerotolerant Campylobacter-like organisms, previously classified as Campylobacter. The Arcobacter genus, in fact, was created as recently as 1992. Although they are similar to this other genus, Arcobacter species can grow at lower temperatures than Campylobacter as well as in the air, which Campylobacter cannot.