Microbiologist’s opinion needed
Hello everyone,
Short version: We want to study microbiologically influenced corrosion in simulated seawater. How do we cultivate marine bacteria in the laboratory?
my mentor and I have been studying electrochemical behavior of metals and alloys in simulated acid rain. Since we came across alloys (steel and bronze) used in the shipbuilding industry we thought about changing the media for seawater. If we do so, we are obliged to take into consideration microorganisms living in the seawater and participating in direct corrosion processes through the formation of complex bioflms.
We were wondering, is there any “easy” way, or to say beginner cultures to start with? We’re aware of a hustle it may be to get the experiment and the conditions right or take care not to contaminate the working station. What interests us the most are bacteria or algae from Central or Southern Adriatic. We may also order a MIC culture from abroad (sulfate-reducing bacteria is the most popular one atm). Either way, we don’t have confidence in growing them in the laboratory or the right knowledge to set up conditions for the experiment. Thought someone would share some insights and help us plan ahead. Should we try getting pure culture from natural seawater sample or just make an online purchase?
We’re only interested in examining corrosion parameters on the metal surface, but if anyone finds it interesting and would like to contribute with their knowledge more, we’d be more than happy to broaden our horizons and collaborate. I have a Master’s degree in Biology and Chemistry and would love to explore the dynamics of processes and interactions between microorganisms and metal surfaces more.
Lastly, is bacterial culturing even worth trying if we don’t have a Microbiology expert by our side?
Looking forward to the answers,
please feel free to message me if you want to discuss more.
Thank you for your time,
best wishes,
Gloria
Hello,
Since microbiological experiments require a specific equipment (autoclaves, clean bench, temperature-controlled bioreactors, etc.), do you have/can your purchase such the equipment for your laboratory? If no, it may be difficult for you to set up cultures, so it is better to consider the collaboration with microbiological laboratory, especially if you have one in your university.
If you can set up conditions for the microbiological work in your lab, it may be easier to start with a purchase of a type strain of bacterial group which you are most interested in. After you set all experimental protocol with this control strain, you can try to isolate the pure culture from the natural seawater from your location of interest.
Hope it helps,
Best wishes,
Dana
Hello,
you can use this approach" micro-droplet encapsulation in an agarose matrix" for isolation.Also you must have an expert in microbiology for consulting.
The best,
Hello Gloria,
I think the corrosion processes that you are interested in and the SRBs will require anaerobic culturing which is not easy or quick if you are new to environmental microbiology. I agree that you should find a nearby microbiology lab and discuss in more detail. I think you might want to rethink your approach, the easiest bacteria to culture will be the ones that are happiest in your non-natural medium. There is a risk your results will have little bearing on what really happens. Best wishes Andrew
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