Abstract
Among microorganisms isolated from different origins, strain WW2 (a wastewater habitant) was selected as a bacterium showing high cell density on metal surfaces (1×108 and 1.51×108 cells/cm2 on stainless steel and copper, respectively, after two weeks of culture). From the physiological tests and homology analysis based on 16S rDNA, this strain was classified into the Enterobacteriaceae family and identified as a facultative anaerobe, Providencia sp. The attachment of WW2 cells to stainless steel surface was maximized when the growth medium was supplemented with 15 g/dm3 NaCI. From scanning electron microscopy and energydispersive X-ray spectroscopy observations of the copper wire immersed in WW2 culture without shaking, it was found that the wire surface was covered with black colored deposits mainly composed of copper and sulfur, the latter element possibly originating from the sulfide produced by WW2 cells under local oxygen-limited conditions.
