Quite a bit can be derived from looking at the name of this bacterium. The genus Desulfomonile alludes to its' ability to reduce sulfate and its' dehalogenation properties. The species tiedjei is taken from one of the discoverers Shelton and Tiedje. Yes, the spelling is different, I guess they are trying to show that microbiologists have some assemblance of a sense of humor.
The reference material I obtained didn't explain much about how the organism was discovered except that is was obtained from an anaerobic consortium enriched from sewage sludge where it was used for its' ability to dehalogenate and mineralize 3-chlorobenzoate. The majority of the data was about how the biochemical and morphological workup was done.
By using phase contrast and electron microscopy it was discovered that D. teidjei cells are non-motile, non-flagellated, bacilli about 0.8-1x5-10um in size. One distinct feature of this bacteria is the collar which is an invagination of the cell wall (see figure c on the attached page). A simple Gram stain revealed that it is Gram negative. Other features of this organism are that it doesn't form spores and it is sensitive to antibiotics, anions, and respiratory inhibitors. In low concentrations these agents inhibited growth and in high enough concentrations the bacteria was destroyed.
This bacterium requires a defined mineral medium containing nicotinamide, thiamine, and 1-4 naphthoquinone and prefers moderate temperatures as it is a mesophile. It can grow heterotrophically or autotrophically depending on what compounds are available.
References:
Desulfomonile tiedjei gen. Nov. and sp. Nov., a novel anaerobic, dehalogenating, sulfate-reducing bacterium. Archives of Microbiology 1990.
Dr. M. R. Mormile
Relationship between Hydrogen Consumption, Dehalogenation, and the Reduction of Sulfur Oxyanions by Desulfomonile teidjei. Applied and Environmental Microbiology. July 1991, Vol. 57, No. 7.
*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.
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