Altermonas luteoviolacea is a gram negative, heterotrophic, aerobic bacterium with a GC content of 38-50 mole percent. Members of the genre Altermonas are motile by an unsheathed polar flagellum, however some strains of A. luteoviolacea posses a sheathed polar flagellum. It was originally isolated in 1976 by Gauthier off the French coast of the Mediterranean Sea, but it is also found in the coastal water of Japan. A. luteoviolacea is a straight rod with a diameter of 0.5-1.5 mm and a length ranging from 1.8 to 4 mm. It has a violet pigment and an autotoxic antibiotic activity. This activity inhibits several Gram-positive and Gram-negative marine and terrestrial bacteria by stimulating the absorption of molecular oxygen and inducing a lethal synthesis of hydrogen peroxide. Unfortunately no commercial or industrial use has been found for this organism.
Growth and isolation of A. luteoviolacea occurs best on complex artificial seawater media. It grows best from 18-25 C and needs to be kept in a dark place with good aeration. The production of violacein and diffusible brown pigments varies considerably with the amino acid composition of the medium: it increases when tyrosine, alanine, or proline is added. Its ability to ferment D-glucose and to accumulate PHB are important traits for differentiating it from fermentative organisms. Altermonas species can use many different organic compounds as the sole source of carbon and energy, including carbohydrates, amino acids, alcohols, and monocarboxylic fatty acids. They are also obligately respiratory organisms that use molecular oxygen as an external final electron acceptor. Finally, this organism is highly sensitive to UV radiation: two generations after UV irradiation the cells undergo a sudden and total lysis.
*Disclaimer - This report was written by a student participaring in a microbiology course at the Missouri University of Science and Technology. The accuracy of the contents of this report is not guaranteed and it is recommended that you seek additional sources of information to verify the contents.
Return to Missouri S&T Microbiology HomePage Go to DJW's HomePage
This Document is maintained by djwesten@ mst.edu
