A Chromatographic Method for Analysis of the Gaseous Phase in Shake Flask Cultures and its Application to the Study of Methane Utilization

Reisolation of the carbon monoxide utilizing hydrogen bacterium Pseudomonas carboxydovorans (Kistner) comb. nov

From enrichment cultures four carbon monoxide utilizing bacteria were isolated; strain OM5 isolated from waste water was studied in detail. The cells are Gram-negative, slightly curved rods, motile by a single subpolarly inserted flagellum. The colonies are smooth, translucent and not slimy. The cells are able to grow autotrophically in mineral medium under an atmosphere of 40% CO, 5% O2 and 55% N2 at a doubling time of 20h (30 degrees C) or of 85% H2, 5% O2 and 10% CO2 at a doubling time of 7h. Heterotrophic growth occurred on organic acids such as acetate(td = 8h), pyruvate(td = 8h), lactate, crotonate, malate, succinate (td = 8h), formate (td = 35h) and glyoxylate as substrates. The enzyme system for carbon monoxide utilization is formed only during growth on CO; hydrogenase is present in cells grown on CO or on H2 + CO2 as well as grown on pyruvate. The rate of oxygen reduction by intact CO-grown cells is 3.7-fold higher in the presence of hydrogen than in the presence of carbon monoxide. During growth the stoichiometry of gas uptake was 6.1 CO + 2.8 O2 + H2O leads to CH2O +5.1 CO2. For the new isolate the name Pseudomonas carboxydovorans (Kistner) comb. nov. has been proposed.