[Degradation of machine oil by nocardiform bacteria]

Gas liquid chromatography (GLC) was used for the first time to screen for machine oil-degrading microorganisms. Oil degradation was evaluated from the microorganism respiratory activity during the utilization of oil as the sole carbon and energy source. The results are consistent with those obtained by the conventional weighing method. Substrate specificity of the active strains with respect to different machine oils was studied. Bacterial communities exhibited the highest activity, whereas a Rhodococcus erythropolis strain was the most active among pure cultures. Various stages of bacterial interaction with oil drops were followed by means of fluorescent microscopy.