Long-Term Changes in Chemostat Cultures of Cytophaga Johnsonae

Long-term studies with a gliding, heterotrophic bacterium, Cytophaga johnsonae, were conducted in a glucose-limited chemostat at a high and a low dilution rate. To test the stability of the steady state during long-term experiments the following parameters were monitored: optical density, glucose concentration, glucose uptake potential, ATP content of the cells, and plate counts on two different agar media. Biomass remained relatively constant, although the observed changes could have been possible in both directions. During all steady states, glucose uptake showed a stepwise increase and the glucose concentration showed a corresponding decrease. Glucose uptake potential and glucose concentration in the chemostat were inversely proportional. The ATP content of the cells varied up to 33% during the steady state, but did not show a general trend. After long cultivation in all chemostats, plate counts on both agars dropped to values less than 20% of the original steady-state level. These decreases were due to an inability of the cells to grow on agar plates, not to a lack of vitality of the cells in the chemostat. This study showed that even during shorter chemostat runs, e.g., 1 week, changes in important parameters with the steady state must be expected, especially in the uptake potential and the concentration of the limiting substrate.