Bacteria and Methanogens in the Human Microbiome: a Review of Syntrophic Interactions.

Methanogens are microorganisms belonging to the Archaea domain and represent the primary source of biotic methane. Methanogens encode a series of enzymes which can convert secondary substrates into methane following three major methanogenesis pathways. Initially recognized as environmental microorganisms, methanogens have more recently been acknowledged as host-associated microorganisms after their detection and initial isolation in ruminants in the 1950s.

Methanobrevibacter smithii Archaemia in Febrile Patients With Bacteremia, Including Those With Endocarditis.

Background: The spectrum of infections caused by methanogens remains to be described. We searched for methanogens in the blood of febrile patients using specific tools.

Methods: Blood culture samples routinely collected in patients with fever were prospectively screened by specific PCR assays for methanogens.