Enumeration, Isolation, and Characterization of Beggiatoa from Freshwater Sediments

Abstract

An accurate most-probable-number enumeration method was developed for counting the number of Beggiatoa trichomes from various freshwater sediments. The medium consisted of extracted hay, diluted soil extract, 0.05% acetate, and 15 to 35 U of catalase per ml. The same enrichment medium, but without the acetate, was the best enrichment medium from which to obtain pure cultures because it supported good growth of the beggiatoas without allowing them to be overgrown by other bacteria. A total of 32 strains of Beggiatoa were isolated from seven different freshwater habitats and partially characterized. The strains were separated into five groups based on several preliminary characteristics. Four of the groups contained cells with trichomes of approximately the same diameter (1.5 to 2.7 ,tm) and may be Beggiatoa leptomitiformis or an unnamed species. The fifth group appeared to be Beggiatoa alba. With the exception of three strains, all of the strains deposited sulfur in the presence of hydrogen sulfide, and all strains grew heterotrophically and deposited poly-fB-hydroxybutyrate and volutin when grown on acetate supplemented with low concentrations of other organic nutrients. Thin sections of sulfur-bearing trichomes indicated that the sulfur granules were external to the cytoplasmic membrane and that they were surrounded by an additional membrane.

Effects of Organic Enrichment and Burrowing Activity of the Polychaete Neries Diversicolor on the Fate of Tetrachlorobiphenyl in Marine Sediments

“…Sulfur bacteria are known to excrete slime and to form mucillagenous sheets [21]. Whether TCB accumulation in sulfur bacteria mats is mainly the result of sorption to these secretions or is the result of an uptake within the bacterial cells can not be determined from the present study.…”

Peru upwelling region sediments near 15°S. 1. Remineralization and accumulation of organic matter1

“…Gallardo (1978) observed intracellular sulfur granules in Thioploca from Chilean coastal waters, suggesting that like the related Beggiatoa (both genera are in the Family Beggiatoaceae) they can oxidize S2-to So in the presence of oxygen or nitrate (Kowallik and Pringsheim 1966;Strohl and Larkin 1978;Nelson and Castenholz 198 la). Although sulfide has been reported to enhance the growth of Beggiatoa (Strohl and Larkin 1978) and natural populations of Beggiatoa oxidize sulfide very rapidly and efficiently (Jsrgensen and Revsbech 1983), chemoautotrophy or mixotrophy has not been conclusively demonstrated (Nelson and Castenholz 198 la). Burton and Morita (1964) have proposed that oxidation of sulfide benefits Beggiatoa by compensating for a lack of catalasc in destroying peroxide, rather than as a source of energy.…”

Benthic bacterial diversity from freshwater tufas of the Iberian Range (Spain)

“…The Firmicutes was dominated by Bacillus sp., heterotrophic, aerobic, endospore producers, and one Desulfotomaculum sp., a widespread sulphate‐reducing bacteria (Lin et al ., ). The Gammaproteobacteria were represented by a number of phylotypes: Acidithiobacillus sp., a sulphur–iron oxidizer known from soils and mine drainages (Waksman & Joffe, ); Dokdonella sp., a heterotroph also found in soils (Yoon et al ., ); Lysobacter sp., a genus comprising chitin, starch, cellulose and lignin decomposers, with stringent exoenzymatic capabilities, often harmful for other organisms (Christensen & Cook, ; Roesti et al ., ); Pseudomonas sp., Gram‐negative rods, usually aerobic and capable of degrading a great variety of organic compounds (Madigan et al ., ); Beggiatoa sp., a filamentous sulphide‐oxidizing chemolithotroph, mostly autotroph or mixotroph (see Strohl & Larkin, ; Nelson & Castenholz, ); and Marichromatium sp., an anaerobic, purple sulphur phototrophic bacterium of marine habitats but with close relatives (e.g. Chromatium sp.…”

“…While Beggiatoa sp. can be found in soils and in saline and freshwater settings (Strohl & Larkin, ; Nelson & Castenholz, ), Marichromatium includes only marine species (Serrano et al ., ) which are generally halophilic and alkaliphilic (Swingley et al ., ). It is possible that the DNA sequences found for this type are related to purple bacteria (e.g.…”