Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Genomic and physiological diversity amongst strains of Thiobacillus ferrooxidans, and genomic comparison with Thiobacillus thiooxidans

  • Published:
Archives of Microbiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Twenty-three strains of Thiobacillus ferrooxidans of known pedigree were examined. Thirteen strains survived 65° C for 5 min and 7 of these for 10 min, but sporulation was never observed. All strains grew between 25° C and 35° C and some strains grew at 5° and 40° C. They were genomically diverse, comprising 7 DNA homology groups, and the GC content varied from 55–65 mol %. Correlation between genomic group and growth temperature was noted. All strains grew on ferrous sulfate as energy source, but some failed to utilize elemental sulfur. Acidified thiosulfate supported growth of most of the strains examined but it was judged to be a poor substrate upon which to base taxonomic conclusions because of decomposition of thiosulfate in acid. Six strains of Thiobacillus thiooxidans showed negligible genomic affinity to T. ferrooxidans, and they comprised 2 DNA homology groups and their GC content varied from 52–62 mol%. Anomalies due to contaminants in cultures of T. ferrooxidans were resolved, and the contaminants were identified.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Arkesteyn GJMW, DeBout JAM (1980) Thiobacillus acidophilus: a study of its presence in Thiobacillus ferrooxidans cultures. Can J Microbiol 26:1057–1065

    Google Scholar 

  • Baird-Parker AC (1974) Genus Staphylococcus. In: RE Buchanan and NE Gibbons (eds), Bergey's Manual ofdeterminative bacteriology. The Williams and Wilkins Co, Baltimore, pp 483–498

    Google Scholar 

  • Beck JV (1967) The role of bacteria in copper mining operations. Biotech Bioeng 9:487–497

    Google Scholar 

  • Brierley CL (1978) Biogenic extraction of uranium from ores in the Grants region. In: LE Murr, AF Torma, and JA Brierley (eds) Metallurgical applications of bacterial leaching and related microbiological phenomena. Academic Press, New York, pp 345–363

    Google Scholar 

  • Brierley JA (1980) Bacterial leaching of copper and uranium from mine waste. Carnegie Institution of Washington Conference on organic matter in ore deposits. Airlie House, Warrenton, VA, Nov. 9–12

  • Bryner LC, Beck JV, Davis DB, Wilson DG (1954) Microorganisms in leaching sulfide minerals. Ind Engr Chem 46:2587–2592

    Google Scholar 

  • Colmer AR, Hinkle ME (1947) The role of microorganisms in acid mine drainage: a preliminary report. Science 106:253–256

    Google Scholar 

  • Colmer AR, Temple KL, Hinkle ME (1950) An iron-oxidizing bacterium from the acid drainage of some bituminous coal mined. J Bacteriol 59:317–328

    Google Scholar 

  • Davis RE (1958) Displacement reactions at the sulfur atom. I. An interpretation of the decomposition of acidified thiosulfates. J Amer Chem Soc 80:3565–3569

    Google Scholar 

  • Deibel RH, Seeley HW Jr (1974) Genus Streptococcus. In: RE Buchanan, and NE Gibbons (eds) Bergey's manual of determinative bacteriology. The Williams and Wilkins Co, Baltimore, pp 490–509

    Google Scholar 

  • Doudoroff M, Palleroni NJ (1974) Genus Pseudomonas. In: RE Buchanan, NE Gibbons (eds) Bergey's manual of determinative bacteriology. The Williams and Wilkins Co, Baltimore, pp 217–243

    Google Scholar 

  • Dugan PR, Apel WA (1978) Microbiological desulfurization of coal. In: LE Murr, AE Torma, JA Brierley (eds) Metallurgical applications of bacterial leaching and related microbiological phenomena. Academic Press, New York, pp 223–250

    Google Scholar 

  • Dubois M, Gilles KA, Hamilton JK, Rebers PA, Smith F (1956) Colorimetric method for determination of sugars and related substances. Anal Chem 28:350–356

    Google Scholar 

  • Duncan DW, Trussel PC, Walden CC (1964) Leaching of chalcopyrite with Thiobacillus ferrooxidans: Effect of surfactants and shaking. Appl Microbiol 12:122–126

    Google Scholar 

  • Ebner HG (1978) Metal recovery and environmental protection by bacterial leaching of inorganic waste materials. In: LE Murr, AE Torma, JA Brierley (eds) Metallurgical applications of bacterial leaching and related microbiological phenomena. Academic Press, New York, pp 195–206

    Google Scholar 

  • Groudev SN, Genchev FM, Gaidarjiev SS (1978) Observations on the microflora in an industrial copper dump leaching operation. In: LE Murr, AE Torma, JA Brierley (eds) Metallurgical applications of bacteriol leaching and related microbiological phenomena. Academic Press, New York, pp 253–274

    Google Scholar 

  • Groudev SN (1980a) Differences between Thiobacillus ferrooxidans strains with respect to their ability to oxidize covellite. Comptes rendus de l'Académie bulgare des Sciences 33:659–662

    Google Scholar 

  • Groudev SN (1980b) Leaching of sphalerite with different strains of Thiobacillus ferrooxidans. Comptes rendus de l'Académie blugare des Sciences 33:1119–1122

    Google Scholar 

  • Guay R, Silver M (1975) Thiobacillus acidophilus sp. nov.: isolation and some physiological characteristics. Can J Microbiol 21:281–288

    Google Scholar 

  • Guay R, Silver M, Torma AE (1976) Base composition of DNA isolated from Thiobacillus ferrooxidans grown on different substrates. Can J Microbiol 35:62–67

    Google Scholar 

  • Harrison AP, Jr, Jarvis BW, Johnson JL (1980) Heterotrophic bacteria from cultures of autotrophic Thiobacillus ferrooxidans: relationships as studied by means of deoxyribonucleic acid homology. J Bacteriol 143:448–454

    Google Scholar 

  • Harrison AP, Jr (1981) Acidophilium cryptum gen. nov., sp. nov. Heterotrophic bacteria from acidic mineral environments. Int J Syst Bacteriol 31:327–332

    Google Scholar 

  • Huff LV (1970) Oxygen-containing inorganic sulfur compounds. In: JH Karchmer (ed) The analytical chemistry of sulfur and its compounds, part I. Wiley-Interscience, New York, pp 183–283

    Google Scholar 

  • Hutchinson M, Johnstone KI, White D (1966) Taxonomy of the acidophilic Thiobacilli. J Gen Microbiol 44:373–381

    Google Scholar 

  • Jackson JF, Moriarty DJW, Nicholas DJD (1968) Deoxyribonucleic acid base composition and taxonomy of thiobacilli and some nitrifying bacteria. J Gen Microbiol 53:53–60

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnson JL, Phelps CF, Cummins CS, London J, Gasser F (1980) Taxonomy of the Lactobacillus acidophilus group. Int J Syst Bacteriol 30:53–68

    Google Scholar 

  • Kelly DP, Tuovinen OH (1972) Recommendation that the names Ferrobacillus ferroxidans Leathen and Braley and Ferrobacillus sulfooxidans Kinsel be recognized as synonyms of Thiobacillus ferrooxidans Temple and Colmer. Int J Syst Bacteriol 22:170–172

    Google Scholar 

  • Landesman J, Duncan DW, Walden CC (1966) Oxidation of inorganic sulfur compounds by washed cell suspensions of Thiobacillus ferrooxidans. Can J Microbiol 12:957–964

    Google Scholar 

  • Leathen WW, Braley SA Sr, McIntyre LD (1953) The role of bacteria in the formation of acid from certain sulfuric constituents associated with bituminous coal. II. Ferrous iron oxidizing bacteria. Appl Microbiol 1:65–68

    Google Scholar 

  • Leathen WW, Kinsel NA, Braley SA Jr (1956) Ferrobacillus ferrooxidans: A chemosynthetic autotrophic bacterium. J Bacteriol 72:700–704

    Google Scholar 

  • Lyons D, Nickless G (1968) The lower oxy-acids of sulfur. In: G Nickless (ed) Inorganic sulfur chemistry. Elsevier Publishing Co, New York, pp 509–533

    Google Scholar 

  • Mandel M, Marmur J (1968) Use of ultraviolet absorbance-temperature profile for determining the guanine plus cytosine content of DNA. In: L Grosman and K Moldave (eds) Methods in enzymology, vol XII, Nucleic acids, part B. Academic Press, New York, pp 195–206

    Google Scholar 

  • Manning HL (1975) New medium for isolating iron-oxidizing and heterotrophic acidophilic bacteria from acid mine drainage. Appl Environ Microbiol 30:1010–1016

    Google Scholar 

  • Marmur J (1961) A procedure for the isolation of deoxyribonucleic acid from microorganisms. J Mol Biol 3:208–218

    Google Scholar 

  • Olson GJ, Iverson WP, Brinckman FE (1980) Volatilization of mercury by Thiobacillus ferrooxidans. Carnegie Institution of Washington Conference on organic matter in ore deposits, Airlie House, Warrenton, VA, Nov 9–12

  • Palleroni NJ, Kunisawa R, Contopoulou R, Doudoroff M (1973) Nucleic acid homologies in the genus Pseudomonas. Int J Syst Bacteriol 23:333–339

    Google Scholar 

  • Schmidt M (1972) Oxyacids of sulfur. In: A Senning (ed) Sulfur in organic and inorganic chemistry, vol 2. Dekker Inc, New York, pp 55–57

    Google Scholar 

  • Seidler RJ, Mandel M (1971) Quantitative aspects of deoxyribonucleic acid renaturation: Base composition, state of chromosome replication, and polynucleotide homologies. J Bacteriol 106:608–614

    Google Scholar 

  • Silverman MP, Lundgren DG (1959) Studies on the chemoautotrophic iron bacterium Ferrobacillus ferrooxidans. J Bacteriol 78:326–331

    Google Scholar 

  • Temple KL, Colmer AR (1951) An autotrophic oxidation of iron by a new bacterium: Thiobacillus ferrooxidans. J Bacteriol 62:605–611

    Google Scholar 

  • Tuovinen O, Kelly DP (1974) Studies in the growth of Thiobacillus ferrooxidans. V. Factors affecting growth in liquid culture and development of colonies on solid media containing inorganic sulfur compounds. Arch Microbiol 98:351–364

    Google Scholar 

  • Tuovinen O, Kelly DP, Dow CS, Eccleston M (1978) Metabolic transitions in cultures of acidophilic thiobacilli. In: LE Murr, AE Torma, JA Brierley (eds) Metallurgical applications of bacterial leaching and related microbiological phenomena. Academic Press, New York, pp 61–80

    Google Scholar 

  • Unz RF, Lundgren DG (1961) A comparative nutritional study of three chemoautotrophic bacteria: Ferrobacillus ferrooxidans, Thiobacillus ferrooxidans, and Thiobacillus thiooxidans. Soil Science 92:302–313

    Google Scholar 

  • Vishniac WV, Santer M (1957) The thiobacilli. Bacteriol Rev 21:195–213

    Google Scholar 

  • Vishniac WV (1974) Genus Thiobacillus. In: RE Buchanan and NE Gibbons (eds) Bergey's manual of determinative bacteriology. The Williams and Wilkins Co, Baltimore, pp 456–461

    Google Scholar 

  • Wichlacz PL, Unz RE (1981) Acidophilic heterotrophic bacteria of acid mine wastes. Appl Environ Microbiol 41:1254–1261

    Google Scholar 

  • Zaiser EM, LaMer VK (1948) The kinetics of the formation and growth of monodispersed sulfur hydrosols. J Colloid Science 3:571–598

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, 106 Tucker Hall, 65211, Columbia, MO, USA

    Arthur P. Harrison Jr.

Authors
  1. Arthur P. Harrison Jr.
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Harrison, A.P. Genomic and physiological diversity amongst strains of Thiobacillus ferrooxidans, and genomic comparison with Thiobacillus thiooxidans . Arch. Microbiol. 131, 68–76 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00451501

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00451501

Key words

Search

Navigation