Effects of the Concentrations of Components of a Few Rehydration Media on the Viability of Freeze-Dried Marine Chemoheterotrophic Spirilla

Abstract

Marine chemoheterotrophic spirilla in freeze-dried cultures were tested for viability by rehydration with 6, 12, 24, 36, and 48% (w/v) sucrose solutions. They belonged to four strains, Oceanospirillum linum strain NCMB 55(=ATCC 12753), O. multiglobuliferum strain OF1(=IFO 13614), and two unidentified strains M55 and EDM71. The following media were also used as rehydration media: SWNBYL(seawater nutrient broth enriched with yeast extract and calcium lactate) containing 6, 12, or 18% (w/v) NaCl:SWNBYL diluted with distilled water ; and distilled water alone. In all the strains, comparatively low concentrations (6 and 12%, w/v) of sucrose showed a good survival, although the percentage survival varied with different strains. In all the strains, the percentage survival obtained with distilled water, SWNBYL diluted with distilled water, or SWNBYL was higher than that obtained with SWNBYL containing NaCl. In strain M55 which was tolerant to a high concentration of NaCl for growth, there was a little decrease in the percentage survival obtained with SWNBYL containing such high concentrations as 36-48% (w/v) of sucrose or 6〜18% (w/v) of NaCl. In the other three strains which lacked an ability to tolerate a high concentration of NaCl, however, such high concentrations of sucrose and NaCl resulted in a large decrease in percentage survival.