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A Set of In Situ Informed Simulated Medium Formats for Culturing Environmentally Acquired Anaerobic Microorganisms
Published on: January 12, 2024
Anaerobic spirochete from a deep-sea hydrothermal vent
C S Harwood1, H W Jannasch, E Canale-Parola
1Department of Microbiology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003, and Department of Biology, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543.
Abstract:
An obligately anaerobic spirochete, designated strain GS-2, was selectively isolated from samples collected at a deep-sea (2,550 m) hydrothermal vent of the Galapagos Rift ocean floor spreading center. The morphological and physiological characteristics of strain GS-2 resembled those of Spirochaeta strains. However, strain GS-2 failed to grow consistently in any liquid medium tested. In addition, strain GS-2 grew more slowly and to lower yields than other Spirochaeta species. The occurrence of obligately anaerobic bacteria in hydrothermal vents indicates that the water in at least some of the vent areas is anoxic. The presence of strain GS-2 shows that these areas are favorable for anaerobic marine spirochetes.
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