Parasporobacterium paucivorans is the only known species of the genus Parasporobacterium. P. paucivorans was isolated from freshwater sediments at the Dekkerswald Institute, Nijmegen, The Netherlands and in 2001 was reported as an obligately anaerobic bacterium with an unusual metabolism. P. paucivorans produces methanethiol (MT) and dimethyl sulfide (DMS), volatile organic sulfur compounds (VOSC), from methoxylated aromatic compounds in a sulfide-dependent manner. VOCSs are part of the global sulfur cycle where microorganisms produce them and photochemical oxidation occurring in the atmosphere converts them into other compounds which have roles in global warming, acid precipitation and cloud formation. Further descriptions of P. paucivorans include that it is double rod-shaped and Gram-negative. The type strain is SYR1 and phylogenetic and taxonomic analysis using a fragment of the rRNA gene shows highest similarity to Sporobacterium olearium and falls within subclass XIVa of order Clostridiales.
Parasporobacterium is a subdominant general within the gut microbiome. Parasporobacterium was found in higher abundance in Down Syndrome individuals compared with controls. Parasporobacterium was found to be in greater abundance in children with irritable bowel syndrome compared to healthy controls.
An investigation comparing cecal bacterial communities between broiler chickens given food with dietary vitamins and without dietary vitamins found Parasporobacterium was associated with the non-vitamin group.
