Genus I. Thiobacterium Janke, 1924[1]
(Janke, Allgem. Tech. Mikrobiol., I Teil, 1924, 68; not Thiobacterium Issatchenko and Salimowskaja, Zur Morphologie u. Physiol, der Thionsäurebakterien (Russian), Izyiestia Gosud. Gidrobiol. Inst. (Memoirs State Hydrobiol. Inst. Leningrad), No. 21, 1928, 61.)
Thi.o.bac.te′ri.um. Gr. noun thium sulfur; Gr. dim. noun bacterium a small rod; M.L. neut. n. Thiobacterium small sulfur rod.
Rod-shaped, sulfur bacteria found in fresh or salt water or soil. Cells 1.0 micron or less in diameter. Motility not observed. Sulfur granules sometimes found inside, sometimes outside the cells. These cells may or may not be embedded in pellicles or in spherical, bladder-like colonies.
The type species is Thiobacterium bovista Janke.
Key to the species in genus Thiobacterium.
I. Sulfur grains are found within the cells. Forms colonies in bladder-like masses which resemble puff balls.
1. Thiobacterium bovista.
II. Sulfur grains are found outside of the cells.
- A. Produces colonies on the surface of water containing proper nutrients. Sulfur crystals are found among the cells.
2. Thiobacterium cristalliferum.
- B. Produces a surface film in the form of a network on water. Sulfur globules are found among the cells.
3. Thiobacterium retiformans.
1. Thiobacterium bovista (Molisch, 1912) Janke, 1924. (Bacterium bovista Molisch, Cent. f. Bakt., II Abt., 33, 1912, 59; Janke, Allgem. Tech. Mikrobiol., I Teil, 1924, 68.)
bo.vis′ta. M.L. noun Bovista a genus of puff balls; from German bovist puff ball; M.L. fem. n. bovista puff ball.
Rod-shaped bacteria embedded in the wall of bladder-like gelatinous colonies, the interiors of which are filled with a clear liquid. The cells are 0.6 to 1.5 by 2.0 to 5.0 microns, occurring by the thousands in each colony. Each cell contains from one to four sulfur granules. No motility observed. The cells stain well with gentian violet while the gelatinous matrix stains poorly, if at all.
The spherical colonies increase in number by a kind of budding process that produces smaller colonies. The colonies are white by reflected light, black or bluish black by transmitted light. Groups of these colonies have the appearance of groups of puff balls of variable sizes. They occur near the surface of the water.
These organisms have not been cultivated in pure culture.
Source: Found commonly in sulfurous sea-water in the harbor at Trieste.
Habitat: Presumably widely distributed in coastal waters containing hydrogen sulfide.
2. Thiobacterium cristalliferum (Gicklhorn, 1920) Janke, 1924. (Bacterium cristalliferum Gicklhorn, Cent. f. Bakt., II Abt., 50, 1920, 420; Janke, Allgem. Tech. Mikrobiol., I Teil, 1924, 68.)
cris.tal.li′fe.rum. Gr. noun crystallus a crystal; L. v. fero to bear; M.L. adj. cristalliferus crystal-bearing.
Straight to curved, rod-shaped bacteria. 0.3 to 0.5 by 1.0 to 2.4 microns. Deposit sulfur crystals outside of the cells. Non-motile. Stain readily in gentian violet.
Colonies developed on the surface of water
- ↑ Prepared by Prof. Dr. Alexander Janke, Technische Hochschule, Vienna, Austria, December, 1954.
