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THE ESTIMATION OF SULPHATE‐REDUCING BACTERIA ( D. DESULPHURICANS )
Author(s) -
GROSSMAN JOY P.,
POSTGATE J. R.
Publication year - 1953
Publication title -
proceedings of the society for applied bacteriology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.889
H-Index - 156
eISSN - 1365-2672
pISSN - 0370-1778
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2672.1953.tb00020.x
Subject(s) - ascorbic acid , cysteine , bacteria , ferrous , agar , glutathione , food science , chemistry , bacterial growth , salt (chemistry) , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , biochemistry , organic chemistry , genetics , enzyme
SUMMARY: Sodium sulphide or cysteine stimulated the growth of sulphate‐reducing bacteria; small populations often did not grow without such supplements. Ascorbic acid, glutathione or thiolacetic acid had similar properties but thiolacetic acid was sometimes inhibitory, Dilution counts in liquid media or colony counts in agar media did not bear any regular relation to the total count unless one of these supplements was present. With suitable precautions colony counts reaching 50 to 60% of the total count were obtained in media incorporating cysteine and a ferrous salt (as an indicator of sulphide formation). Samples of natural origin containing sulphate‐reducing bacteria gave greater viable counts in cysteine‐iron media than in unsupplemented media. Blackend culture tubes with natural populations were sometimes due to cysteine‐decomposing organisms; further examination of positive tubes was therefore necessary.