A wide diversity of microorganisms, typically growing as biofilms, has been implicated in corrosion, a multi-trillion dollar a year problem. Aerobic microorganisms establish conditions that promote metal corrosion, but most corrosion has been attributed to anaerobes. Microbially produced organic acids, sulfide and extracellular hydrogenases can accelerate metallic iron (Fe⁰) oxidation coupled to hydrogen (H₂) production, as can respiratory anaerobes consuming H₂ as an electron donor. Some bacteria and archaea directly accept electrons from Fe⁰ to support anaerobic respiration, often with c-type cytochromes as the apparent outer-surface electrical contact with the metal. Functional genetic studies are beginning to define corrosion mechanisms more rigorously. Omics studies are revealing which microorganisms are associated with corrosion, but new strategies for recovering corrosive microorganisms in culture are required to evaluate corrosive capabilities and mechanisms. Interdisciplinary studies of the interactions among microorganisms and between microorganisms and metals in corrosive biofilms show promise for developing new technologies to detect and prevent corrosion. In this Review, we explore the role of microorganisms in metal corrosion and discuss potential ways to mitigate it.

各种各样的微生物（通常以生物膜的形式生长）与腐蚀有关，这是一个每年造成数万亿美元损失的问题。需氧微生物创造了促进金属腐蚀的条件，但大多数腐蚀归因于厌氧菌。微生物产生的有机酸、硫化物和细胞外氢化酶可以加速金属铁 (Fe ⁰ ) 氧化并产生氢气 (H ₂ )，呼吸厌氧菌消耗 H ₂作为电子供体也可以。一些细菌和古细菌直接接受来自Fe ^{0 的}电子以支持无氧呼吸，通常使用c型细胞色素作为与金属的明显外表面电接触。功能遗传学研究开始更严格地定义腐蚀机制。组学研究揭示了哪些微生物与腐蚀有关，但需要在培养物中回收腐蚀性微生物的新策略来评估腐蚀能力和机制。对腐蚀性生物膜中微生物之间以及微生物与金属之间相互作用的跨学科研究显示出开发检测和防止腐蚀的新技术的前景。在这篇综述中，我们探讨了微生物在金属腐蚀中的作用，并讨论了减轻腐蚀的潜在方法。