Skip to main content
Applied Microbiology logoLink to Applied Microbiology
. 1968 Feb;16(2):358–361. doi: 10.1128/am.16.2.358-361.1968

Microbiology of Anaerobic Sludge Fermentation

I. Enumeration of the Nonmethanogenic Anaerobic Bacteria1

Robert A Mah 1, Carol Sussman 1
PMCID: PMC547412  PMID: 5645419

Abstract

An anaerobic medium containing sludge supernatant fluid and glucose was used for enumeration of bacteria from the sludge fermentation. Comparison of viable counts from several separate samples consistently showed 10 to 100 times more anaerobic than aerobic bacteria. However, viable counts of the various samples differed by as much as 10 times; this variation probably reflects a change in the natural environment or sampling errors, or a combination of the two. Direct microscopic counts yielded values of about 1010/ml. The discrepancy between viable (108 to 109/ml) and direct counts may be due to large numbers of dead cells. Random isolates of representative colonies from high dilutions exhibited the ability to ferment sugars and are not likely to be methane bacteria.

Full text

PDF
361

Selected References

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

  1. Caldwell D. R., Bryant M. P. Medium without rumen fluid for nonselective enumeration and isolation of rumen bacteria. Appl Microbiol. 1966 Sep;14(5):794–801. doi: 10.1128/am.14.5.794-801.1966. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. HUNGATE R. E. Symposium: selected topics in microbial ecology. I. Microbial ecology of the rumen. Bacteriol Rev. 1960 Dec;24(4):353–364. doi: 10.1128/br.24.4.353-364.1960. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. HUNGATE R. E. The anaerobic mesophilic cellulolytic bacteria. Bacteriol Rev. 1950 Mar;14(1):1–49. doi: 10.1128/br.14.1.1-49.1950. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Hotchkiss M. FACTORS INFLUENCING THE BACTERIAL FLORA OF AN IMHOFF TANK. Am J Public Health (N Y) 1925 Aug;15(8):702–704. doi: 10.2105/ajph.15.8.702. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. MAKI L. R. Experiments on the microbiology of cellulose decomposition in a municipal sewage plant. Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek. 1954;20(2):185–200. doi: 10.1007/BF02543721. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Smith P. H., Mah R. A. Kinetics of acetate metabolism during sludge digestion. Appl Microbiol. 1966 May;14(3):368–371. doi: 10.1128/am.14.3.368-371.1966. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

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

RESOURCES