Utilization of various nitrogenous compounds by certain pseudomonas cultures from marine environments

Summary and Conclusions

The ability of some species ofPseudomonas from marine environments to use single amino acids and other nitrogenous compounds as sole source of nitrogen was studied. Arginine, choline, cystine and glutamic acid were available for all cultures. Tyrosine, phenylalanine and tryptophane were also utilized by a large number of cultures. Valine, glycine and histidine were poor sources of growth but asparagine and urea were better. Two groups of apparently identical cultures such as ‘A’ and ‘B’ (Ps. marinodenitrificans) and D and G were each shown to be different species by virtue of the differential utilization of amino acids. The strictly ‘marine’ species was more exacting in its requirements and utilized few if any single amino acids. For denitrification, citrate was better as hydrogen donor than was glucose. It is possible to differentiate two apparently similar cultures by the pattern of amino acid utilization.