Stable isotope ratios as a tool in microbial forensics--Part 1. Microbial isotopic composition as a function of growth medium.
The stable isotope ratios of a seized pathogen culture could potentially reveal information about the environment in which the agent was produced. In this paper we describe general relationships between stable isotopes of carbon, nitrogen, and hydrogen in bacteriological culture media and spores of Bacillus subtilis, an endospore-forming soil bacterium. In numerous media that varied both in nutrient composition and water stable isotope ratios, medium to spore enrichment in carbon isotopes was 0.3 +/- 2.0% per thousand (parts per thousand), and in nitrogen, 4.5 +/- 0.7% per thousand. We achieved mass balance for the contribution of hydrogen isotopes from nutrients (70%) and water (30%) to spores in independent experiments by varying the isotope ratios of nutrients or water. A model was derived for predicting the isotope ratio values of spores from those in nutrients and water.
Stable Isotope Ratio Facility for Environmental Research, 257 S. 1400 E., Department of Biology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112-0840, USA. kreuzer@biology.utah.edu
Helen W
HW
Kreuzer-Martin
Lesley A
LA
Chesson
Michael J
MJ
Lott
Janet V
JV
Dorigan
James R
JR
Ehleringer
D001412:Bacillus subtilis / Q000502:physiology*; D002247:Carbon Isotopes / Q000032:analysis*; D003470:Culture Media; D044707:Forensic Sciences / Q000379:methods*; D006859:Hydrogen / Q000032:analysis*; D009587:Nitrogen Isotopes / Q000032:analysis*; D013171:Spores, Bacterial; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry
D002247:Carbon Isotopes; D003470:Culture Media; D009587:Nitrogen Isotopes; D014867:Water; D006859:Hydrogen