Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Applied and Environmental Microbiology logoLink to Applied and Environmental Microbiology
. 1986 Apr;51(4):776–780. doi: 10.1128/aem.51.4.776-780.1986

Method for Detection of Microorganisms That Produce Gaseous Nitrogen Oxides

Gary E Jenneman 1, Anne D Montgomery 1, Michael J McInerney 1,*
PMCID: PMC238963  PMID: 16347040

Abstract

A method was developed to detect NO- or N2O-producing bacteria in solid or liquid medium by their ability to oxidize the redox indicator resazurin from its reduced colorless form to its oxidized pink form. The method was sensitive to as little as 35 nM N2O or 0.5 nM NO. Ninety-one percent of the colonies that oxidized resazurin on plates also produced N2O in slant cultures. Forty-four percent of the colonies that did not oxidize resazurin did produce N2O. This percentage was reduced to 15% when colonies in which the coloration was difficult to discern were picked to slants to determine whether they oxidized the slant. The production of N2O preceded the oxidation of resazurin by liquid cultures of Escherichia coli and a sludge isolate. With the denitrifying sewage isolate, the disappearance of N2O was followed by the return of resazurin to its reduced state. Wolinella succinogenes was found to produce small amounts of N2O from NO3−, which resulted in a transient oxidation of resazurin.

Full text

PDF
776

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Balch W. E., Fox G. E., Magrum L. J., Woese C. R., Wolfe R. S. Methanogens: reevaluation of a unique biological group. Microbiol Rev. 1979 Jun;43(2):260–296. doi: 10.1128/mr.43.2.260-296.1979. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Bleakley B. H., Tiedje J. M. Nitrous oxide production by organisms other than nitrifiers or denitrifiers. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1982 Dec;44(6):1342–1348. doi: 10.1128/aem.44.6.1342-1348.1982. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Bryant M. P. Commentary on the Hungate technique for culture of anaerobic bacteria. Am J Clin Nutr. 1972 Dec;25(12):1324–1328. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/25.12.1324. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Bulla L. A., Gilmour C. M., Bollen W. B. Non-biological reduction of nitrite in soil. Nature. 1970 Feb 14;225(5233):664–664. doi: 10.1038/225664a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. McInerney M. J., Bryant M. P. Anaerobic Degradation of Lactate by Syntrophic Associations of Methanosarcina barkeri and Desulfovibrio Species and Effect of H(2) on Acetate Degradation. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1981 Feb;41(2):346–354. doi: 10.1128/aem.41.2.346-354.1981. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Smith M. S. Nitrous oxide production by Escherichia coli is correlated with nitrate reductase activity. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1983 May;45(5):1545–1547. doi: 10.1128/aem.45.5.1545-1547.1983. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Sørensen J., Tiedje J. M., Firestone R. B. Inhibition by sulfide of nitric and nitrous oxide reduction by denitrifying Pseudomonas fluorescens. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1980 Jan;39(1):105–108. doi: 10.1128/aem.39.1.105-108.1980. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Thauer R. K., Jungermann K., Decker K. Energy conservation in chemotrophic anaerobic bacteria. Bacteriol Rev. 1977 Mar;41(1):100–180. doi: 10.1128/br.41.1.100-180.1977. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. WOLIN M. J., WOLIN E. A., JACOBS N. J. Cytochrome-producing anaerobic Vibrio succinogenes, sp. n. J Bacteriol. 1961 Jun;81:911–917. doi: 10.1128/jb.81.6.911-917.1961. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Weathers P. J. N(2)O evolution by green algae. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1984 Dec;48(6):1251–1253. doi: 10.1128/aem.48.6.1251-1253.1984. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Yoshinari T., Knowles R. Acetylene inhibition of nitrous oxide reduction by denitrifying bacteria. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 1976 Apr 5;69(3):705–710. doi: 10.1016/0006-291x(76)90932-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Yoshinari T. N2O reduction by Vibrio succinogenes. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1980 Jan;39(1):81–84. doi: 10.1128/aem.39.1.81-84.1980. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Applied and Environmental Microbiology are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES