[Study on the process of degrading filter paper cellulose by Sporocytophaga sp. JL-01]

Sporocytophaga is a kind of bacteria that can glide on the solid medium surface. It can decompose the cotton and filter paper after 6 days cultured. The sporocytophaga can only produce a low extracellular carboxymethylcellulase activity and no other cellulase activities. In this work, the process about degradation of filter paper fibre by a strain of Sporocytophaga was studied using scan electronmicroscopy. The morphological changes that Sporocytophaga sp. JI-01 grew on filter paper were observed. The study revealed the JL-01 adhered tightly to the surface of filter paper fibre or penetrated into interior of the fibre through its 2.5 microm - 4.0 microm bacilliform cells in the process of degrading. The bacilliform cells degrade the cellulose strongly and produced a mass of sticky polysaccharides. At the anaphase of cultured, the bacteria existed as a cycloidal dormancy body-sporocyst.