(ˌ)dēˌsəlfə+ noun
Usage: capitalized
Etymology: New Latin, from de- + sulfo- + vibrio
: a genus of curved motile anaerobic bacteria rods (family Spirillaceae) that reduce sulfates to hydrogen sulfide and include at least one form ( D. halohydrocarbonoclasticus ) capable of increasing the flow of oil wells by raising the gas pressure and enlarging the flow channels in the rock