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. 1982 May;43(5):1196–1200. doi: 10.1128/aem.43.5.1196-1200.1982

Flagella and Pili of Iron-Oxidizing Thiobacilli Isolated from a Uranium Mine in Northern Ontario, Canada

Alan A DiSpirito 1, Marvin Silver 2, Lance Voss 1, Olli H Tuovinen 1
PMCID: PMC244205  PMID: 16346016

Abstract

Five strains of Thiobacillus ferrooxidans, which included three recent isolates from a uranium mine, possessed flagella. Three of the strains had several pili per cell. The dimensions, fine structure, and orientation of the flagella were different. Both polar and peritrichous flagella were observed, indicating strain-dependent ultrastructural variation in acidophilic thiobacilli. Neither flagella nor pili were detected in eight other strains of T. ferrooxidans and two strains of Thiobacillus acidophilus by electron microscopy, although all of the cultures contained motile cells.

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Selected References

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