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Appl Environ Microbiol. 1979 November; 38(5): 795-799

Autotrophic Growth of Thiobacillus acidophilus in the Presence of a Surface-Active Agent, Tween 80

J. G. Kingma Jr. and Marvin Silver

¹ Département de Biochimie, Faculté des Sciences et de Génie, Université Laval, Québec, Québec G1K 7P4, Canada

ABSTRACT

Cellular protein, pH, dissolved oxygen concentration, and static surface tension were measured during growth of Thiobacillus acidophilus on elemental sulfur in the absence and presence of up to 5,000 mg of Tween 80 per liter. The decrease in pH and the increase in sulfate production were observed to be less accurate measurements of growth when compared with the increase in cellular protein. The doubling time of the bacterium decreased approximately 50% with the addition of 500 mg of Tween 80 per liter. The bacteria did not appear to synthesize any wetting agents as demonstrated by the constant surface tension of the medium during growth. Morphological alterations in the presence of Tween 80 were also observed.

Present address: Canada Centre for Mineral and Energy Technology, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0G1, Canada.