Complete mineralization of dodecyldimethylamine using a two-membered bacterial culture

Complete degradation of dodecyldimethylamine was achieved using a two-membered bacterial culture isolated from activated sludge. One member, identified as Burkholderia cepacia, was capable of degrading the alkyl chain of the molecule. The other member, identified as Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, was able to degrade dimethylamine, the product of the former. Batch culture experiments revealed that the two-membered culture consisting of B. cepacia and S. maltophilia was based on a commensalistic relationship under carbon-limited conditions. Under nitrogen-limited conditions, the relationship of this culture was transformed from a commensalistic to a mutualistic one. A two-membered culture was therefore imperative for growth on dodecyldimethylamine under nitrogen-limited conditions, whereas a pure culture of B. cepacia was capable of growth on dodecyldimethylamine under carbon-limited conditions.