Exactly what is a microaerophile? It is a microorganism (very small) that requires oxygen but lives in an environment where there is very little oxygen. One place where the environment is right for this microorganism to exist is to light a candle in a jar and then sealing the jar with an airtight lid. The candle will burn until it is deprived of oxygen. This creates a carbon dioxide environment.
The reason microaerophiles need oxygen is that they cannot ferment or respire otherwise. If they have high concentrations of oxygen they are poisoned. They don’t necessarily grow best in an anaerobic jar. One example of the microaerophile is the campylobacter which it is categorized as a bacteria. Those animals that have campylobacter can make humans very sick.
