This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Friedman, B. A. Articles by Remsen, C. C. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Friedman, B. A. Articles by Remsen, C. C.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

J Bacteriol. 1969 June; 98(3): 1328-1334
Copyright © 1969 American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Structure of Exocellular Polymers and Their Relationship to Bacterial Flocculation

Academic Faculty of Microbial and Cellular Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210
Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich, Switzerland

ABSTRACT

Several gram-negative, polarly flagellated rods were isolated on the basis of their flocculent growth habit. Some of the isolates possessed a capsular matrix which is composed of exocellular fibrils. Other isolates did not appear to have a capsular matrix when examined with a bright-field microscope with or without the aid of stains. However, these latter type isolates did possess exocellular material which can be demonstrated by adsorption of a fluorescent dye under an ultraviolet microscope. Electron microscopic examination demonstrated that the exocellular material around all isolates examined is fibrillar. The fibrils were susceptible to cellulase although all fibrils did not appear to be identical. It is postulated that the exocellular polymers were responsible for the flocculent growth habit of the bacteria, and that the process of bacterial flocculation produced by synthetic polyelectrolytes was essentially the same as that caused by naturally produced exopolymers.

¹ Present address: U. S. Army Environmental Hygiene Agency, Edgewood Arsenal, Md. 21010.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Leshniowsky, W. O., Dugan, P. R., Pfister, R. M., Frea, J. I., Randles, C. I. (1970). Aldrin: Removal from Lake Water by Flocculent Bacteria. Science 169: 993-995 [Abstract]