Hydrogenosomes isolated from Tritrichomonas foetus and Trichomonas vaginalis fermented pyruvate to acetate, malate, H2, and CO2 in an anaerobic process dependent on ADP, Pi, Mg2+, and succinate. The extent to which pyruvate was carboxylated to malate by malate dehydrogenase (decarboxylating) rather than decarboxylated to acetate by pyruvate/ferredoxin oxidoreductase was dependent on pCO2. The processes observed showed carbon and redox balances. The presence of an NADH/ferredoxin oxidoreductase activity was demonstrated. This enzyme is likely to be involved in the transfer of electrons from the ferredoxin reduced in pyruvate oxidation to NAD+ needed for the reductive carboxylation of pyruvate. Disruption of hydrogenosomes with Triton X-100 led to cessation of pyruvate-dependent H2 formation which could be restored by addition of coenzyme A and methyl viologen or ferredoxin. The formation of acetate and H2 by undisrupted hydrogenosomes proceeded at approximately half maximal rates in the presence of 25 microM succinate for T. foetus and 5 microM succinate for T. vaginalis. The apparent Km value of the acetate/succinate CoA transferase from T. foetus for succinate was approximately 45 microM, thus the stimulating effect of succinate might be due to the requirement of this enzyme for succinate. The exact mechanism of this effect remains to be elucidated, however.