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Appl Environ Microbiol. 1972 December; 24(6): 911-919
Copyright © 1972 American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Biodegradation of Ethylene Glycol by a Salt-Requiring Bacterium¹

Department of Biology, Texas A & M University, College Station, Texas 77843
The Dow Chemical Co., Texas Division, Freeport, Texas 77541

ABSTRACT

A gram-negative nonmotile rod which was capable of using 1,2-¹⁴C-ethylene glycol as a sole carbon source for growth was isolated from a brine pond, Great Salt Lake, Utah. The bacterium (ATCC 27042) required at least 0.85% NaCl for growth and, although the chloride ion was replaceable by sulfate ion, the sodium ion was not replaceable by potassium ion. The maximal concentration of salt tolerated for growth was approximately 12%. The bacterium was oxidase-negative when N,N-dimethyl-p-phenylenediamine was used and weakly positive when N,N,N',N'-tetramethyl-p-phenylenediamine was used. It grows on many sugars but does not ferment them, it does not have an exogenous vitamin requirement, and it possesses a guanine plus cytosine ratio of 64.3%. Incorporation of ethylene glycol carbon into cell and respired CO₂ was quantitated by use of radioactive ethylene glycol and a force-aerated fermentor. Glucose suppressed ethylene glycol metabolism. Cells grown on ethylene and propylene glycol respired ethylene glycol in a Warburg respirometer more rapidly than cells grown on glucose. Spectrophotometric evidence was obtained for oxidation of glycolate to glyoxylate by a dialyzed cell extract.

¹ This study was part of a thesis submitted by the senior author to the faculty of the graduate college, Texas A & M University, in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the M.S. degree.