Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 29, 2025
Collection, Isolation and Enrichment of Naturally Occurring Magnetotactic Bacteria from the Environment
Published on: November 15, 2012
Isolation, microscopic and magnetotactic characterization of Magnetospirillum moscoviense MS-24 from Banjosa Lake,
Maria Abdul Salam1,2,3, Nuriye Korkmaz4, Leena Mavis Cycil5
1Applied Environmental and Geomicrobiology Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan.
Abstract:
At currently, approximately 70 species of magnetotactic bacteria have been identified; thus, there is an urgent need to identify more magnetotactic bacteria from diverse environmental sources with potential applications in industry and biotechnology. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first magnetotactic bacterial strain discovered in Pakistan. The first magnetotactic bacteria, Magnetospirillum moscoviense MS-24, was isolated from Banjosa Lake (Rawalakot), Pakistan, in the current investigation. Magnetospirillum moscoviense MS-24 was screened using the Racetrack method. The Magnetospirillum moscoviense MS-24 were physically characterised using Atomic Force Microscopy, High-Resolution Scanning Electron Microscopy, and Transmission Electron Microscopy. The current study used microscopy to illustrate the shape of bacteria and to find a very obvious chain of magnetosomes within the bacterial cell. The Magnetospirillum moscoviense MS-24 measured about 4 ± 0.04 µm in length and 600 ± 0.02 nm in diameter. The microfluidic chip experiments were also used to detect magnetotaxis behaviour in bacteria.
