Neutrophilic Microbial Community with High Rate of Elemental Sulfur Oxidation

Using molecular genetic methods, 10 species wereidentified in the community of neutrophilic microorganisms isolated from thebioreactor during the process of biooxidation of gold-arsenicpyrrhotite-bearing sulfide ore flotation concentrate. The microbial communitywas composed of chemolithotrophs oxidizing elemental sulfur and its reducedcompounds and chemoorganotrophs. The predominant S0-oxidizingchemolithotrophic strain and 3 strains of chemoorganotrophs were isolated inpure cultures. Phylogenetic identification of the pure cultures revealed thechemolithotrophic microorganism to belong to Thermithiobacillus tepidarius,while organotrophic microorganisms were identified as Parapedobacter sp.,Nocardioides nitrophenolicus, and Nocardioides sp. Themorphological and physiological characteristics of Thermithiobacillustepidarius and Nocardioides nitrophenolicus, the culturespredominant in the community of neutrophilic microorganisms, were studied.Active growth of T. tepidarius occurs within a temperature range of38–48°C at the optimal pH value of 7.0–7.5. The maximal specific growth rate ofT. tepidarius on sulfur and on solid residue which remains after theprocess of bioleaching/biooxidation of sulfide ore flotation concentrate (biooxidationresidue) was 0.13 and 0.135 h-1, respectively. The average maximalrate of S0 oxidation in the biooxidation residue was 0.107 g S0oxidizedper g S0initial h-1. The ability of Nocardioidesnitrophenolicus to destruct thiocyanate was shown.

Definitive Assignment by Multigenome Analysis of the Gammaproteobacterial Genus Thermithiobacillus to the Class Acidithiobacillia

The class Acidithiobacillia was established using multiprotein phylogenetic analysis of all the available genomes of the genus Acidithiobacillus (comprising Family I, the Acidithiobacillaceae, of the Acidithiobacillales, the order created for Bergey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology), and for representative genomes of all available bacterial orders. The Acidithiobacillales contain a second family, the Thermithiobacillaceae, represented by Thermithiobacillus tepidarius, and created on the basis of nearest neighbour 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequence similarities. This could not be included in the original multiprotein analysis as no genome sequence for Thermithio bacillus was available. The publication of the genome sequence of Thermithiobacillus tepidarius in 2013 has enabled phylogenetic assessment of this organism by comparative multigenome analysis. This shows definitively that Thermithiobacillus is a member of the class Acidithiobacillia, distinct from the Acidithiobacillus genus, and confirms it to represent a second family within the Acidithiobacillia.