PIT microbes

To grow each Pit microbe under varying physicochemical conditions, and examine the effect on the secondary metabolites produced. 

To isolate and characterize selected bioactive metabolites produced by selected Pit microbes. 

Each Pit microbe was initially grown in 6 different nutrient broths as both shake (7 day) and still culture (21 day) to assess what growth conditions yielded the maximum biological activity. Each microbe was grown in a 100 mL nutrient broth in 250 mL Erlenmeyer flasks. The media used included PDB (DIFCO potato dextrose broth) PDBH+ ( PDB acidified to pH 2.5 by the drop wise addition of sterile 1.0 M H2SO4) Pit II (filter sterilized Berkeley Pit surface water added to an equivolume sterile solution of 5 g/L soytone and 5 g/L glucose) TSB (DIFCO tryptic soy broth) TSBH+ (TSB acidified to pH 2.5) and Myc (DIFCO mycological broth). 

At this point we have grown approximately 45 different Pit microbes from water samples and sediment samples using 12 different growth conditions (6 nutrient broths, still and shaken). Microbes isolated from Pit sediments were also grown in both still and shake cultures of DIFCO actinomyces broth. Each extract generated a crude... 

Aqueous external corrosion results in rusting, pitting and ultimately perforation. Under certain conditions detinning may also occur. Perforation is of very serious concern because of loss of product, along with the more serious problem of contamination due to ingress of foreign material such as microbes in food cans. 

This is no ordinary lake, however, and its microbial inhabitants reflect the unique nature of the lake. Berkeley Pit Lake is located in Butte, Montana, called the richest hill on earth because of the high quality ore bodies that concentrated in this area. While scientists and engineers attempted to remediate the Pit Lake, we initiated a different type of mining venture— mining for microbes. Over the last eight years, we have isolated and studied over 60 fungi and bacteria from the surface waters down to the lake bottom sediments at 720 feet. Last year we were able to access deep Pit Lake sediments as well and have isolated several new microbes not found in the water column. 

Berkeley Pit Lake is our extreme environment. We are confining our studies to microbial life in the Pit for the simple reason that microbes are the predominant, and perhaps sole inhabitants of this toxic lake. Unlike most rivers and lakes in Montana, Berkeley Pit Lake does not harbor trout, grayling or other blue ribbon fish species. Aside from a single water bug photographed resting on the surface of the Pit Lake, and a flock of snow geese that landed on the water and subsequently died, no evidence of macrobial life exists. 

Corrosion in ships can also be caused by MIC. In this type of corrosion, microbial organisms present in the environment can accelerate corrosion. For example, SRB, which are present in stagnant water of many harbors, can build up on the hulls of ships. Other corrosion-causing bacteria, such as acid-producing and anaerobic bacteria, are also present in ballast tanks as well as in the liquid products that some tankers carry. The microbes cause a localized change in the environment, which can promote aggressive pitting and other types of corrosion. 

Petroleum is a finite resource that iikeiy originated with decay of primordiai microbes. At the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeies, many prehistoric animais perished in a naturai vat containing hydrocarbons. 

Each technique has common problems that make quantitation difficult. These include (1) the nature of the surface (smooth versus pitted, flat versus irregular), (2) definition of area to be sampled, (3) amount of pressure applied to surface, and (4) the time of application. Further, one cannot be certain of complete recovery of microbes from a cotton swab. By standardizing the sampling procedure, one can improve success and make general observations that is, the operation maybe rated as good, fair, or poor. ... 

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