Journal Article

Solid and liquid media for isolating and cultivating acidophilic and acid-tolerant sulfate-reducing bacteria

Johnson, D. Barrie, Hedrich, Sabrina, Rowe, Owen F., Ňancucheo, Ivan

2016

Overview

Growth media have been developed to facilitate the enrichment and isolation of acidophilic and acid-tolerant sulfate-reducing bacteria (aSRB) from environmental and industrial samples, and to allow their cultivation in vitro. The main features of the ‘standard’ solid and liquid devised media are as follows: (i) use of glycerol rather than an aliphatic acid as electron donor; (ii) inclusion of stoichiometric concentrations of zinc ions to both buffer pH and to convert potentially harmful hydrogen sulphide produced by the aSRB to insoluble zinc sulphide; (iii) inclusion of Acidocella aromatica (an heterotrophic acidophile that does not metabolize glycerol or yeast extract) in the gel underlayer of double layered (overlay) solid media, to remove acetic acid produced by aSRB that incompletely oxidize glycerol and also aliphatic acids (mostly pyruvic) released by acid hydrolysis of the gelling agent used (agarose). Colonies of aSRB are readily distinguished from those of other anaerobes due to their deposition and accumulation of metal sulphide precipitates. Data presented illustrate the effectiveness of the overlay solid media described for isolating aSRB from acidic anaerobic sediments and low pH sulfidogenic bioreactors. The paper describes how bacteria that live in acidic environments, and that form hydrogen sulphide from sulfate, may be isolated and grown in the laboratory. Graphical Abstract Figure. The paper describes how bacteria that live in acidic environments, and that form hydrogen sulphide from sulfate, may be isolated and grown in the laboratory.

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Subject: Acetic acid / Acidiphilium - metabolism / acidophile / Acids / Aliphatic compounds / Alphaproteobacteria - classification / Alphaproteobacteria - growth & development / Alphaproteobacteria - isolation & purification / Alphaproteobacteria - metabolism / Anaerobes / Bacteria / Bioreactors / Cultivation / Culture media / Culture Media - chemistry / Desulfovibrio - growth & development / Desulfovibrio - metabolism / Gelation / Glycerol / Glycerol - metabolism / Glycerol - pharmacology / Growth media / Hydrogen / Hydrogen sulfide / Hydrogen Sulfide - metabolism / hydrogen sulphide / Hydrogen-Ion Concentration / Isolation media / media / Metal sulfides / Microbiology / Oxidation-Reduction / pH effects / Precipitates / Pyruvic Acid - metabolism / Sediments / Sulfate reduction / Sulfate-reducing bacteria / Sulfates / Sulfates - metabolism / Sulfates - pharmacology / Sulfides - metabolism / Sulfides - pharmacology / Yeast / Yeasts / Zinc / Zinc - metabolism / Zinc - pharmacology / Zinc Compounds - metabolism / Zinc Compounds - pharmacology / Zinc sulfide