Bioleaching acidophiles inhabit environments with unusually high concentrations of iron that
can potentially cause oxidative stress via the Fenton reaction in which dangerous reactive
oxygen species (ROS) are generated. ROS can cause damage to proteins, nucleic acids,
lipids and other macromolecules and thus have deleterious effects on cell growth and
survival. Many of these microorganisms are chemolithotrophs with unusually high oxygen
consumption rates that may exacerbate the problem of oxidative stress. Although some …