Evaluation of the growth and inhibition strength of hydrocarbon solvents against Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas putida grown in a two-liquid phase culture system consisting of a medium and organic solvent.
The growth of microorganisms is often inhibited in a two-liquid phase culture system consisting of an aqueous medium and a large volume of hydrophobic solvent. Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas putida were cultured in a two-phase system containing a solvent with a log Pow value in a range of 2.1 to 6.0. The increase in the cell mass was monitored by increase in turbidity of the medium phase. We devised a semiquantitative method to evaluate the growth inhibition strength of solvents based on the relative amount of bacterial growth occurring in the two-phase system. Analyses of growth of the bacteria by this method showed that the growth inhibition strength of a given solvent was usually but not always correlated inversely with its polarity. It is clear that growth inhibition strength is not determined simply by polarity of the solvent.
Aono
R
R
Department of Biological Information, Graduate School of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Nagatsuta, Japan. raono@bio.titech.ac.jp
Tsukagoshi
N
N
Miyamoto
T
T
D003470:Culture Media; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development*; D006838:Hydrocarbons / Q000494:pharmacology*; D016958:Pseudomonas putida / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development*; D012997:Solvents / Q000494:pharmacology*
D003470:Culture Media; D006838:Hydrocarbons; D012997:Solvents