A novel anammox bacteria Candidatus Brocadia caroliniensis, having Accession Deposit Number NRRL B-50286 and the characteristics of oxidizing ammonia and releasing di-nitrogen under anaerobic conditions, has been discovered. It can be used for effective treatment of wastewater having undesirable levels of ammonia, including agricultural, industrial, or municipal wastewaters. It was isolated from livestock manure sludge at the USDA-ARS laboratory in Florence, South Carolina. The obtained anammox sludge has been used for quick start-up of bio-reactors. Average nitrogen removal rates obtained were 1.5 kg N/m3-reactor/day with loading rates of 1.7 kg N/m3-reactor/day and HRT of 3.9 hours. The stoichiometric ratios were NH4+ + 1.30 NO2- ¿ 1.06 N2 + 0.18 NO3-. A specific FISH probe FLO-1 was developed. The specific N removal activity obtained was 0.506 mg N/mg VSS/day for ammonia + nitrite removal. The bacterial isolate is capable of long-term storage and reactivation after lyophilization; this protocol was used for its successful deposit in the Agricultural Research Culture Collection under the provisions of the Budapest Treaty of the UN.