| A differential, phenanthrene-enrichment agar plating technique was used to isolate phenanthrene-degrading bacteria from phenanthrene-enriched Chesapeake Bay sediment. One of the isolates, a yellow pigmented, slime-producing, Gram-negative rod identified as Flavobacterium sp. has been studied in detail. It has been found to carry a single plasmid with a mass of about 34 megadaltons. Results of hydrocarbon adherence tests showed that the organism adhered only minimally to n-octane and n-hexadecane, but emulsified cyclohexylbenzene and 1,2,3,4,-tetrahydronaphthalene (tetralin). Curing of the plasmid with 3 mu g/ml novobiocin resulted in loss of phenanthrene clearing ability. Ability to degrade phenanthrene was confirmed using super(14)C-labeled phenanthrene. |
