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Characterization of Nocardia farcinica , a Filamentous Bacterium Isolated from Foaming Activated Sludge Samples
Author(s) -
Naidoo Dashika,
Kumari Sheena,
Bux Faizal
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
water environment research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.356
H-Index - 73
eISSN - 1554-7531
pISSN - 1061-4303
DOI - 10.2175/106143010x12851009156565
Subject(s) - activated sludge , bacteria , segmented filamentous bacteria , nocardia , microbiology and biotechnology , actinomycetales , chemistry , sewage treatment , biology , streptomyces , environmental engineering , environmental science , genetics
The identification and characterization of filamentous bacteria and their association with specific plant operating conditions and influent characteristics has been hampered because of morphological variations and differences between process configurations. A study was conducted to isolate and characterize the predominant filamentous bacteria observed in a foaming activated sludge treatment plant. The predominant foam‐forming filament was isolated and characterized using microscopic, biochemical and molecular techniques. The phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA gene confirmed that it was Nocardia farcinica, a typical filamentous foam‐foaming pathogenic bacterium which is not widely reported outside of South Africa. The bacterium used a variety of substrates for its growth and showed greater affinity to larger and slowly biodegradable compounds. The N. farcinica grew well at temperatures ranging from 12 to 30 °C in R2A medium and with a pH ranging from 5.5 to 8.0 and an NaCl concentration of 1 to 5%. This range of conditions shows that N. farcinica can withstand extreme conditions, which results in its proliferation in foaming samples.