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Biogenesis of methane in primate dental plaque
Author(s) -
Kemp C.W.,
Curtis M.A.,
Robrish S.A.,
Bowen W.H.
Publication year - 1983
Publication title -
febs letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.593
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1873-3468
pISSN - 0014-5793
DOI - 10.1016/0014-5793(83)80209-9
Subject(s) - methane , dental plaque , chemistry , bacteria , methanol , ethanol , microbiology and biotechnology , biochemistry , environmental chemistry , nuclear chemistry , biology , organic chemistry , genetics
Dental plaque samples collected from monkeys ( Macaca mulatta ) were found to contain a large amount of dissolved methane gas (0.6 nmol CH 4 /mg wet wt plaque). Enrichment cultures inoculated with dental plaque obtained from Macaca fascicularis produced methane when the medium contained ethanol, methanol, lactate, acetate or a hydrogen + CO 2 atmosphere. Methane formation in the enrichments was inhibited by oxidation of the culture medium, autoclaving or the addition of 2‐bromoethane sulfonic acid (BES). The methane producing enrichments were observed to contain fluorescent cocci occurring singly and in short chains. It was concluded that methane formation in the monkey dental plaque was the result of the presence of methanogenic bacteria.