'The filaments form microscopic projections called pili that act as microbial nanowires,' said Derek Lovley, U-M professor. 'Using this bacterial strain in a fuel cell to generate electricity would greatly increase the cell's power output.'

Microbial fuel cells can be used in monitoring devices in environments where it is difficult to replace batteries if they fail but to be successful they need to have an efficient and long-lasting source of power.

Lovley described how KN400 might be used in sensors placed on the ocean floor to monitor migration of turtles.

These findings were reported at the Society for General Microbiology's meeting at Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, on Monday.