Effect of solvents on obligately anaerobic bacteria.
Growth of Acetobacterium woodii and Clostridium sporogenes was studied in the presence of water-immiscible solvents. Nitrogen purging, vacuum distillation or distillation under nitrogen were all suitable as methods to remove oxygen from the solvents, since growth rates and yields of A. woodii were unaffected in the presence of tetradecane which had been degassed by these methods. Varying the solvent volume from 20% to 80% of the culture volume had little effect on growth rate of A. woodii. A.woodii was relatively sensitive to organic solvents since growth was inhibited by alkanes with logP(octanol/water) values below 7.1. C. sporogenes was less solvent sensitive, since it grew without inhibition when the logP of the solvent was > or = 6.6. Nevertheless, both A. woodii and C. sporogenes were more sensitive to solvent polarity than aerobic bacteria.
Rodriguez Martinez
Maria Fernanda
MF
School of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Science, University of Manchester, P.O. Box 88, Manchester M60 1QD, UK.
Kelessidou
Niki
N
Law
Zoe
Z
Gardiner
John
J
Stephens
Gill
G
D045855:Acetobacterium / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development; D000473:Alkanes / Q000633:toxicity*; D019149:Bioreactors; D003013:Clostridium / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development; D010100:Oxygen / Q000378:metabolism; D012997:Solvents / Q000633:toxicity*
D000473:Alkanes; D012997:Solvents; C024713:n-tetradecane; D010100:Oxygen