This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Holm, N. C. Articles by Hirsch, P. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Holm, N. C. Articles by Hirsch, P. Agricola Articles by Holm, N. C. Articles by Hirsch, P.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Appl. Environ. Microbiol., Feb 1996, 522-528, Vol 62, No. 2
Copyright © 1996, American Society for Microbiology

Diversity and Structure of Hyphomicrobium Populations in a Sewage Treatment Plant and Its Adjacent Receiving Lake

NC Holm, CG Gliesche and P Hirsch
Institut fur Allgemeine Mikrobiologie, Universitat Kiel, D-24118 Kiel, Germany

Budding methylotrophic bacteria resembling Hyphomicrobium spp. were counted for 12 months in a German sewage treatment plant by most-probable-number (MPN) methods. Influent samples contained up to 2 x 10(sup4) cells ml(sup-1), activated sludge consistently contained 1 x 10(sup5) to 5 x 10(sup5) cells ml(sup-1), and the effluent contained 1 x 10(sup3) to 4 x 10(sup3) cells ml(sup-1). The receiving lake had only 2 to 12 cells ml(sup-1). Six morphological groups with different growth requirements could be observed among 1,199 pure cultures that had been isolated from MPN dilutions. With dot blot DNA hybridizations, 671 isolates were assigned to 30 hybridization groups (HGs) and 84 could not be classified. Only HG 22 hybridized with a known species, Hyphomicrobium facilis IFAM B-522. Fourteen HGs (HGs 8 to 20 and HG 22) were specific for the lake; most others occurred only in the treatment plant. HGs 1, 3, and 26 were found in the activated sludge tank throughout the year, and HGs 27 and 28 were found for most of the year. In summary, it was demonstrated that bacteria with nearly identical and specific morphologies and nutritional types showed a high level of genetic diversity, although they were isolated under the same conditions and from the same treatment plant or its receiving lake. A directional exchange of these genetically different populations was possible but less significant, as was shown by the establishment of distinct populations in specific stations.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Xie, C.-H., Yokota, A. (2004). Transfer of Hyphomicrobium indicum to the genus Photobacterium as Photobacterium indicum comb. nov.. Int. J. Syst. Evol. Microbiol. 54: 2113-2116 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Walker, D. C., Len, S.-V., Sheehan, B. (2004). Development and Evaluation of a Reflective Solar Disinfection Pouch for Treatment of Drinking Water. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 70: 2545-2550 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Layton, A. C., Karanth, P. N., Lajoie, C. A., Meyers, A. J., Gregory, I. R., Stapleton, R. D., Taylor, D. E., Sayler, G. S. (2000). Quantification of Hyphomicrobium Populations in Activated Sludge from an Industrial Wastewater Treatment System as Determined by 16S rRNA Analysis. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 66: 1167-1174 [Abstract] [Full Text]