Lipophilic bacteria are bacteria

Bacteria

Bacteria are a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria have a wide range of shapes, ranging from spheres to rods and spirals...

 that may proliferate in lipids.

Types

They include lipophilic corynebacteria..

Propionibacterium acnes is a type of liphophilic bacteria, releasing fatty acids and worsening comedones.

However, the group of lipophilic bacteria are not pathogenic, i.e. they don't cause food poisoning or food infection

Health risks

Most materials in laboratories and health-care centers have small amounts of lipids on their surface, and thus may support the proliferation of lipophilic bacteria. However, since they are not pathogenic, this is not a serious threat.

Lipophilic bacteria may also proliferate in diet fat. However, in modern food industry this is very rare and at worst causes a discoloration of the fat

Commercial Use

Many liopohilic bacteria are a good source of Biosurfactants, hence are used commercially, e.g. Bacillus lichenoformis. These kind of bacteria produce Biosurfactant which replaces chemically produced surfactants, Biosurfactans are degradable unlike the chemical ones.