Abstract
Several strains of heterotrophic, gas vacuolate bacteria were isolated from marine waters of Antarctica. To our knowledge these are the first marine forms of gas vacuolate bacteria to be reported. Current isolates are all Gram-negative rods. All isolates are psychrophiles that grow at temperatures between ≤−1.5°C and 7°C, with none growing at temperatures higher than 14°C. All can grow at salt concentrations of sea water, although some can grow at 1/16th that concentration. Two of the strains produce orange colored pigments, whereas all heterotrophic gas vacuolate bacteria known to date are nonpigmented. The two pigmented filamentous strains grow well at 5.0% NaCl and have a specific sodium ion requirement. Isolates differ in the substrates they use for growth. Organic acids, amino acids, and sugars are used depending upon the strain. All isolates appear to be microaerophilic and oxidase and catalase positive. All grow well at pH 7.0. The mol% G+C of the pigmented strains is 31 and that of the non-pigmented strains, 52–57.
Similar content being viewed by others
Literature Cited
American Society for Microbiology. (1981)Manual of methods for general bacteriology (Gerhardt P, Murray RGE, Costilow NR, Nester EW, Wood WA, Krieg NR, Phillips GB (eds) Washington, DC: ASM Publications
Irgens RL (1977)Meniscus, a new genus of aerotolerant, gas-vacuolate bacteria. Int J Syst Bacteriol. 27:38–43
Larsen H, Omang S, Steensland H (1967) On the gas vacuoles of the halobacteria. Arch Mikrobiol 59:197–203
Matches JL, Liston J (1973) Temperature-gradient incubator for the growth of clostridia. Can J Microbiol 19:1161–1165
Staley JT (1968)Prosthecomicrobium andAncalomicrobium: new freshwater prosthecate bacteria. J Bacteriol 95:1921–1942
Staley JT (1981) The generaProsthecomicrobium andAncalomicrobium. In: Starr MP, Stolp H, Truper HG, Balows A, Schlegel HG, (eds). The prokaryotes. Berlin: Springer-Verlag
Staley JT, Irgens RL, Renner DJ (1987)Enhydrobacter aerosaccus gen. nov. sp. nov., a gas-vacuolated, facultatively anaerobic heterotrophic rod. Int J Syst Bacteriol 37:289–291
Sullivan CW, Palmisano AC (1984) Sea ice microbial communities: distribution, abundance, and diversity of ice bacteria in McMurdo Sound, Antarctica, in 1980. Appl Environ Microbiol 47:788–795
van Baalen C, Brown RM (1969) The ultrastructure of the marine blue green alga,Trichodesmium erythraeum, with special reference to the cell wall, gas vacuoles, and cylindrical bodies. Arch Mikrobiol 69:79–91
Van Ert M, Staley JT (1971) Gas-vacuolated strainsMicrocyclus aquaticus. J Bacteriol 108:236–240
Vasilyeva LV (1985)Stella, gen. nov., a new genus of soil prosthecomicrobia, with proposals forStella humosa sp. no. andStella vacuolata sp. no. Int J Syst Bacteriol 35:518–521
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Irgens, R.L., Suzuki, I. & Staley, J.T. Gas vacuolate bacteria obtained from marine waters of Antarctica. Current Microbiology 18, 261–265 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01570303
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01570303