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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Bacterial analysis of water and sediment samples

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:6357880
Water and sediment samples collected from the Monongahela River, WV, were analyzed for total bacteria by direct counts using epifluorescence microscopy and the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) content by the limulus amebocyte lysate assay. The population ranges of bacteria in water and sediment samples were 2.4 to 6.5 x 10/sup 6//ml and 0.7 to 2 x 10/sup 10//g dry weight, respectively. The bound LPS in water samples ranges from 3 to 17 ng/ml. Sediment samples contained 17 to 34 ..mu..g of bound LPS/g dry weight of sediment. The relationship between bound LPS and bacterial cell number and the estimated bacterial carbon biomass by direct bacterial counts and LPS assay are discussed. The average ratios of the direct bacterial-count-derived carbon to the lipopolysaccharide-derived carbon for water and sediment samples were 1.03 +- 0.60 and 1.10 +- 0.53, respectively.
Research Organization:
Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, NY (USA)
DOE Contract Number:
AC02-76CH00016
OSTI ID:
6357880
Report Number(s):
BNL-51375; ON: DE81024272
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English