S61: Vibrios and Petroleum Biodegradation – Capable but Contributory?

The ability of Vibrio species to utilize hydrocarbons, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), as sources of carbon and energy was established phenotypically in the 1970s. Research supporting this capability included: (i) growth of Vibrio spp. in/on minimal media containing only salts, inorganic nutrients and hydrocarbons; (ii) concomitant disappearance of hydrocarbons from media and appearance of bacteria in that media; and (iii) the presence of degradative plasmids in hydrocarbon utilizing bacteria. More recently, the abundance of a small subpopulation of Vibrio spp. increased in MC252 oil plumes at depth, as evidenced by 16S rDNA, but the Vibrios were by no means the dominant petroleum degraders. Vibrio spp. cultured from the oil plumes were found to contain dioxygenase genes, suggesting PAH degradation capability, and these strains are now being tested for growth in PAH containing media. Metagenomic analysis (16S rDNA) of water and sand at bathing beach sites ranging from the Florida panhandle through Mississippi showed that oiled beach bacterial communities contained different populations than clean sites.