Thermobifida fusca YX
   
   
 
Thermobifida fusca name changed from Thermomonaspora fusca, is a moderate thermophilic soil bacterium (growth temperature 55°C) that is a major degrader of plant cell walls in heated organic materials such as compost heaps, rotting hay, manure piles or mushroom growth medium. It produces spores that can be allergenic and causes a condition called farmers lung. It is an actinomycete and its extracellular enzymes, including cellulases, have been studied extensively because of their thermostability, broad pH range (4-10) and high activity. It appears to degrade all major plant cell wall polymers except lignin and pectin and can grow on most simple sugars and carboxylic acids.