Genus Butyrivibrio was first described by Bryant and Small (1956) as anaerobic, butyric acid-producing, curved rods (or vibroids).
[3][4] It is thought that they appear Gram-negative when Gram stained because their cell walls thin to 12 to 18 nm as they reach stationary phase.
[5] These include fibre degradation, protein breakdown, biohydrogenation of lipids and the production of microbial inhibitors.
[6][7][8][9][10] Of particular importance to ruminant digestion, and therefore productivity, is their contribution to the degradation of plant structural carbohydrates, principally hemicellulose.
However, phylogenetic analyses based on 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene sequences has divided the genus Butyrivibrio into six families.