What does anaerobic bacteria require for survival?

Anaerobic bacteria are organisms that thrive in environments devoid of oxygen. They are specifically adapted to survive and grow without any presence of oxygen, which can be toxic to them. This lack of oxygen is crucial because anaerobic bacteria rely on fermentation or other metabolic processes that do not use oxygen to produce energy.

Understanding anaerobic bacteria is significant in many fields, including healthcare, because they can cause infections in humans and require specific conditions for culture and treatment. While some bacteria can tolerate low levels of oxygen, anaerobes cannot; hence, they require environments completely free of it for optimal growth and reproduction. This characteristic distinguishes them from aerobic bacteria, which do require oxygen for their metabolic processes.