The Hybrid Lifestyle of an Uncultured Chemolithotrophic Bacterium

Dr. Emily Fleming Nuester 
Department of Biological Sciences CSU, Chico 

A chemolithotrophic bacterium is iron oxidizing and produces rust. The fresh water variety is found in streams and ditches, while the salt water variety is found on marine sea mounts in every ocean in the world. These bacteria can have significant economic impacts, particularly in their ability to build up iron deposits in piping and to break down certain metals. Dr. Fleming Nuester’s presentation focuses on one of the fresh water organisms, Leptothrix ochracea, which has been studied by scientists for 120 years and yet has never been cultured – that is, it cannot be grown and studied in a petri dish. 

Recorded: September 5, 2014