GroktheCube
New member
Just wondering. I've contemplated trying, though I'm not sure what media to use to isolate them, as I'd rather not also put pressure on other bacteria in biomedia to develop the same trait.
Has anyone ever tried to created antibiotic resistant nitrosomonas/nitrobacter?
- Thread starter GroktheCube
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animalkingdom
New member
why do you want to do this?
I am not sure on the culture conditions, but as far as making things antibiotic resistant that is as easy as putting in a plasmid to code for resistance to desired antibiotic in prokaryotes. Their may be some tweaking and some may not work depending on the nature of the bacteria or the mechanism of the antibiotic. ie. some antibiotics specifically target certain types of bacteria such as gram negative or gram positive ans so forth.
I am not sure on the culture conditions, but as far as making things antibiotic resistant that is as easy as putting in a plasmid to code for resistance to desired antibiotic in prokaryotes. Their may be some tweaking and some may not work depending on the nature of the bacteria or the mechanism of the antibiotic. ie. some antibiotics specifically target certain types of bacteria such as gram negative or gram positive ans so forth.
+1
I'm sorry but I would add I think the idea expresses a profound ignorance of what's going on our aquaria. Look on page 255 of Delbeek and Sprung's "The reef Aquarium" Vol III (it's available on itunes). The process of ammonia to nitrite to nitrate is just a part of the nitrogen cycle and nitrogen transformation in the sea and in our aquariums (like symbiotic cyanobacteria converting nitrogen to nitrates for corals). I would also suggest you research "coral holobiont", emerging research is showing each species of coral has it's own unique group of associated bacteria species and we do not yet know why or how these species are interacting, indeed many are still undescribed.
(I don't know if you are aware of this but to expound on Billsreef point genes can be transferred between bacteria through "plasmids" [more reasearch for you].)
dkeller_nc
New member
Also, doing something like this might turn out to be extraordinarily dangerous to your health. In addition to the nitrobacter, nitrosomonas and other bacteria of interest in the nitrogen cycle, there's a possibility that any saltwater reef tank may also contain various species of mycobacterium and vibrio.
Especially if you produce antibiotic-resistant bacteria by the natural selection process, you may create antibiotic resistant versions of those two species/genuses. Depending on the exact species, both are extraordinarily nasty human pathogens, and you don't want to wind up with a methicillin-resistant infection from a small nick or scrape while working on your aquarium.
For reference, an example human infection caused by mycobacterium is tuberculosis, and an example human infection caused by vibrio is cholera. Both can be life-threatening.
Especially if you produce antibiotic-resistant bacteria by the natural selection process, you may create antibiotic resistant versions of those two species/genuses. Depending on the exact species, both are extraordinarily nasty human pathogens, and you don't want to wind up with a methicillin-resistant infection from a small nick or scrape while working on your aquarium.
For reference, an example human infection caused by mycobacterium is tuberculosis, and an example human infection caused by vibrio is cholera. Both can be life-threatening.
Hawkdl2
Mad Scientist
As a molecular biologist who's been transforming bacteria since the mid 80s, good luck.
In the lab, we do this all the time with E.coli by making the bacteria "competent" to accept small circular pieces of DNA called "plasmids". Making cells competent involves making holes in their cell membranes, allowing the plasmid DNA to be taken up. This process substitutes for the natural process of "conjugation" in which bacterial transfer plasmids between cells through their version of sex.
Not all bacteria are easily made competent and transference of a bacterial resistance plasmid can only occur if the plasmid already exists in the population. In hospitals, these plasmids are common, in the wild, not so much.
Further, plasmids are extra DNA that has to be replicated during cell division and that costs energy. Bacteria are misers and will not maintain a plasmid unless there is a selective pressure on them to keep it. If they don't need it, they lose it. That's why resistant strains of common E.coli that are unfortunately common in hospitals do not occur very often in the wild.
It is very unlikely that one could create an antibiotic resistant strain through induced mutagenesis of the bacterial genome followed by selective plating.
But most importantly, why would you want to do this?
In the lab, we do this all the time with E.coli by making the bacteria "competent" to accept small circular pieces of DNA called "plasmids". Making cells competent involves making holes in their cell membranes, allowing the plasmid DNA to be taken up. This process substitutes for the natural process of "conjugation" in which bacterial transfer plasmids between cells through their version of sex.
Not all bacteria are easily made competent and transference of a bacterial resistance plasmid can only occur if the plasmid already exists in the population. In hospitals, these plasmids are common, in the wild, not so much.
Further, plasmids are extra DNA that has to be replicated during cell division and that costs energy. Bacteria are misers and will not maintain a plasmid unless there is a selective pressure on them to keep it. If they don't need it, they lose it. That's why resistant strains of common E.coli that are unfortunately common in hospitals do not occur very often in the wild.
It is very unlikely that one could create an antibiotic resistant strain through induced mutagenesis of the bacterial genome followed by selective plating.
But most importantly, why would you want to do this?
.... Walking Dead, The Stand, Omega Man ......
Psyops
Still Learning
Do you have a background in microbiology? If not, then don't try it. You have to do know how to isolate a colony of nitrosomonas/nitrobacter and not something else that you are trying to see if it is antibiotic resistent. Too dangerous.
Tell you a story: Couple of gals in our lab (when I was a college student) were playing with isolating fungi. Unknown to them, they actually isolated a yeast colony. They thought it was a harmless candida albicans yeast and they took it home. Unfortunately it was a yeast form of Coccidioides immitis (Valley Fever). It went into spore form at their home. They opened the agar plate to inspect it, and they both died 72 hrs later. Unfortunately this is a totally true story. Something like this probably won't happen to you, but our tanks do have pathogenic organisms, and if isolated and concentrated can be harmful.
Again: please don't try it.
Alex
