A six-well plate method: less laborious and effective method for cultivation of obligate anaerobic microorganisms

Microbes Environ. 2011;26(4):301-6. doi: 10.1264/jsme2.me11120. Epub 2011 Jun 16.

Abstract

We developed a simple, less laborious method to cultivate and isolate obligate anaerobic microorganisms using a six-well plate together with the AnaeroPack System, designated as the six-well plate method. The cultivation efficiency of this method, based on colony-forming units, colony formation time, and colony size, was evaluated with four authentic obligate anaerobes (two methanogenic archaea and two sulfate-reducing bacteria). The method was found to be comparable to or even better than the roll tube method, a technique that is commonly used at present for the cultivation of obligate anaerobes. Further experiments using 21 representative obligate anaerobes demonstrated that all examined anaerobes (11 methanogens, 5 sulfate- or thiosulfate-reducing bacteria, and 5 syntrophs) could form visible colonies on the six-well plate and that these colonies could be successfully subcultured in fresh liquid media. Using this method, an unidentified sulfate-reducing bacterium was successfully isolated from an environmental sample.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Evaluation Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Anaerobiosis
  • Archaea / growth & development*
  • Archaea / isolation & purification*
  • Bacteria / growth & development*
  • Bacteria / isolation & purification*
  • Colony Count, Microbial
  • Microbiological Techniques / methods*