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  • Obligate Anaerobes: Definition & Why Oxygen Kills Them
    An organism that will die in the presence of oxygen is called an obligate anaerobe.

    Here's why:

    * Anaerobe: Means "without air" or "without oxygen".

    * Obligate: Means "required".

    So, an obligate anaerobe is an organism that *requires* the absence of oxygen to survive. They can't use oxygen in their metabolic processes and are actually poisoned by it.

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