Definition

1. Noun:
   • An organism that lives and grows only in environments completely lacking oxygen. Oxygen is toxic to obligate anaerobes and inhibits their growth or kills them.

Usage

• The term is used in biology, microbiology, and medicine to classify organisms based on their relationship with oxygen.
• It is a scientific descriptor, typically used in academic, research, or clinical contexts.

Examples

• Noun:
  • Clostridium botulinum, the bacterium that causes botulism, is an obligate anaerobe.
  • Researchers studied the metabolic pathways of the obligate anaerobe found in deep-sea vents.
  • The infection was likely caused by an obligate anaerobe, as it proliferated in the necrotic, oxygen-poor tissue.

Advanced Usage

• The term is often contrasted with obligate aerobe (an organism that requires oxygen) and facultative anaerobe (an organism that can grow with or without oxygen).
• It can be used attributively (like an adjective) in compound nouns, e.g., "obligate anaerobe bacteria."

Variants and Related Words

• Anaerobe (n): A broader term for any organism that does not require oxygen for growth. An obligate anaerobe is a strict type of anaerobe.
• Anaerobic (adj): Relating to or requiring an absence of oxygen.
  • The jar creates an anaerobic environment for culturing obligate anaerobes.

Synonyms

• Strict anaerobe
• Obligatory anaerobe

Antonyms

• Obligate aerobe
• Aerobe

Noun

1. an organism that cannot grow in the presence of oxygen