Nitrospirae

The Nitrospira are a family of bacteria, given their own phylum (Nitrospirae). The first member of this phylum was discovered in 1995 from a corroded iron pipe in a Moscow heating system. The bacteria was named Nitrospira moscoviensis and is a gram-negative nitrogen-oxidising organism with a helical to vibroid morphology 0.9-2.2 x 0.2-0.4 micrometres in size.