Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Culture dependent methods for enumeration of sulphate reducing bacteria (SRB) in the Oil and Gas industry

  • Mini-Review
  • Published:
Reviews in Environmental Science and Bio/Technology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The group of anaerobic microorganisms collectively referred to as Sulphate Reducing Bacteria (SRB) is a major concern in the Oil and Gas industry primarily because of this group’s ability to generate substantial amounts of hydrogen sulfide and insoluble ferrous sulfide in the presence of iron. Traditionally, the Oil industry has relied on two recommended standard practices i.e. API RP-38 and NACE TM0194 for the detection and enumeration of culturable sulphate reducing bacteria for routine field monitoring. API RP-38 has now been withdrawn without any replacement. Data generated by nonstandard molecular microbiological methods which are still in the developmental stage cannot be compared with the accepted control levels for SRBs in oil field systems, monitored over the years with viable culture methods. Culture based methodologies are still important tools for the study of SRB, as they help in understanding the physiological characteristics which may be similar or different across phylogenetically similar bacteria. This review article therefore tries to highlight the continued importance of culture dependent methods for detection and enumeration of SRB in Oil field systems and the need for further development of an universal standard culture based method for studying SRB in the Oil and Gas industry.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Amann RI, Stromley J, Devereux R, Key R, Stahl DA (1992) Molecular and microscopic identification of sulfate-reducing bacteria in multispecies biofilms. Appl Environ Microbiol 58:614–623

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • API (1965) API recommended practice for the biological analysis of subsurface injection waters. API RP 38, 2nd edn. American Petroleum Institute, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Bracho M, Araujo I, Romero M D, Ocando L, García M, Sarró M I, Gall SLBL (2007) Comparison of bacterial growth of sulfate reducing bacteria evaluated by serial dilution, pure plate and epifluorescence techniques. NACE Corrosion Conference and Expo 2007

  • Brandt KK, Vester F, Jensen AN, Ingvorsen K (2001) Sulfate reduction dynamics and enumeration of sulfate-reducing bacteria in hypersaline sediments of the Great Salt Lake (Utah, USA). Microb Ecol 41:1–11. doi:10.1007/s002480000059

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cowan JK (2005) Rapid enumeration of sulfate reducing bacteria. 2005 NACE Conference paper no. 05485 (Houston, Texas) 1–16

  • Edgcomb VP, McDonald JH, Devereux R, Smith DW (1999) Estimation of bacterial cell numbers in humic acid-rich salt marsh sediments with probes directed to 16S ribosomal DNA. Appl Environ Microbiol 65:1516–1523

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Eilers H, Pernthaler J, Glöckner FO, Amann R (2000) Culturability and in situ abundance of pelagic bacteria from the North Sea. Appl Environ Microbiol 66:3044–3051

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fedorak PM, Semple KM, Westlake DW (1987) A statistical comparison of two culturing methods for enumerating sulfate reducing bacteria. J Microbiol Methods 7:19–27

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gibson GR, Parkes RJ, Herbert RA (1987) Evaluation of viable counting procedures for the enumeration of sulphate-reducing bacteria estuarine sediments. J Microbiol Methods 7:201–210

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hill EC, Shennan JL, Watkinson RJ (eds) (1986) Microbial problems in the offshore oil industry. In: Proceedings of the institute of petroleum microbiology committee

  • Hoffman H, Devince C, Maxwell S (2007) Application of molecular microbiology techniques as tools for monitoring oil field bacteria. NACE Corrosion Conference and Expo 2004

  • Horacek GL, Gawel LJ (1966) New test kit for rapid detection of SRB in the oil field. SPE 18199 83rd annual technical conference and exhibition of the Society of Petroleum Engineers Houston, Texas, pp 1–4

  • Hugenholtz P, Goebel B, Pace NR (1998) Impact of culture independent studies on the emerging phylogenetic view of bacterial diversity. J Bacteriol 180:4765–4774

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jain DK (1995) Evaluation of the semisolid Postgate’s B medium for enumerating sulfate-reducing bacteria. J Microb Methods 22:27–38

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jaspers E, Overmann J (2004) Ecological significance of microdiversity: identical 16S rRNA gene sequences can be found in bacteria with highly divergent genomes and ecophysiologies. Appl Environ Microbiol 70:4831–4839

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jorgensen BB (1978) A comparison of methods for the quantification of bacterial sulphate reduction in coastal marine sediments. III. Estimation from chemical and bacteriological field data. Geomicrobiol J 1:49–64

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jorgensen BB, Bak F (1991) Pathways and microbiology of thiosulfate transformations and sulfate reduction in marine sediment (Kattegat, Denmark). Appl Environ Microbiol 57:847–856

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Keller M, Zengler K (2004) Tapping into microbial diversity. Nat Rev Microbiol 2:141–150

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Leloup J, Quillet L, Berthe T, Petit F (2006) Diversity of the dsrAB (dissimilatory sulfite reductase) gene sequences retrieved from two contrasting mudflats of the Seine estuary, France. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 55:230–238

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lillebæk R (1995) Application of antisera raised against sulfate reducing bacteria for indirect immunofluorescent detection of immunoreactive bacteria in sediment from the German Baltic Sea. Appl Environ Microbiol 61:3436–3442

    Google Scholar 

  • Maxwell S (1999) MIC in Hudson & Ekofisk flowlines. Eleventh international biodeterioration and biodegradation symposium, Virginia, USA

  • Maxwell S, Devince C (2004) Monitoring and control of bacterial biofilms in oilfield water handling systems. NACE Corrosion Conference and Expo 2004

  • McCaig AE, Grayston SJ, Prosser JI, Glover A (2001) Impact of cultivation on characterization of species composition of soil bacterial communities. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 35:37–48

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Miteva VI, Scheridant PP, Brenchley JE (2004) Phylogenetic and physiological diversity of microorganisms isolated from a deep Greenland glacier ice core. Appl Environ Microbiol 70:202–213

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • NACE (1994) Monitoring bacterial growth in oilfield systems. NACE TM0194 NACE International, Houston TX

  • O’Sullivan LA, Fuller KE, Thomas EM, Turley CM, Fry JC, Weightman AJ (2004) Distribution and culturability of the uncultivated ‘AGG58 cluster’ of the Bacteroidetes phylum in aquatic environments. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 47:359–370

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Odom JM, Jessie K, Knodel E, Emptage M (1991) Immunological cross-reactivities of adenosine-59-phosphosulfate reductases from sulfate-reducing and sulfide-oxidizing bacteria. Appl Environ Microbiol 57:727–733

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Pankhurst ES (1971) The isolation and enumeration of sulfate-reducing bacteria. In: Shapton DA, Board RG (eds) Isolation of anaerobes. Academic Press, New York, pp 223–240

    Google Scholar 

  • Pearce DA, Van der Gast CJ, Lawley B, Ellis-Evans JC (2003) Bacterioplankton community diversity in a maritime Antarctic lake, determined by culture-dependent and culture-independent techniques. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 45:59–70

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Pontes DS, Lima-Bittencourt CI, Chartone-Souza E, Nascimento AMA (2007) Molecular approaches: advantages and artifacts in assessing bacterial diversity. J Ind Microbiol Biotechnol 34:463–473. doi:10.1007/s10295-007-0219-3

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Postgate JR (1963) Versatile medium for the enumeration of sulphate-reducing bacteria. Appl Microbiol 1:265–267

    Google Scholar 

  • Rosselló-Mora R, Amann R (2001) The species concept for prokaryotes. FEMS Microbiol Rev 25:39–67

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sahm K, MacGregor BJ, Jorgensen BB, Stahl DA (1999) Sulphate reduction and vertical distribution of sulphate-reducing bacteria quantified by rRNA slot-blot hybridization in a coastal marine sediment. Environ Microbiol 1:65–74

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Schleifer K (2004) Microbial diversity: facts, problems and prospects. Syst Appl Microb 27:3–9

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stilinovic B, Hrenovic J (2004) Rapid detection of sulfide-producing bacteria from sulfate and thiosulfate. Folia Microbiol 49:513–518

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Stubner S (2004) Quantification of gram-negative sulphate-reducing bacteria in rice field soil by 16S rRNA gene-targeted realtime PCR. J Microbiol Methods 57:219–230

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tanner RS (1989) Monitoring sulfate-reducing bacteria: comparison of enumeration media. J Microb Methods 10:83–90

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tatnall RE, Stanton KM, Ebersole RC (1998) Methods of testing for the presence of sulfate-reducing bacteria. Corrosion, vol 88. NACE International, Houston

  • Teske A, Wawer C, Muyzer G, Ramsing N (1996) Distribution of sulfate-reducing bacteria in a stratified fjord (Mariager Fjord, Denmark) as evaluated by most-probable-number counts and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis of PCR-amplified ribosomal DNA fragments. Appl Environ Microbiol 62:1405–1415

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Toerien DF, Thiel PG, Hattingh MM (1968) Enumeration, isolation and identification of sulphate-reducing bacteria of anaerobic digestion. Water Res 2:505–513. doi:10.1016/0043-1354(68)90054-7

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Traore SA, Jacq VA (1991) A simple membrane-filter technique for the enumeration of S-reducing bacteria in soil and water samples. J Microbiol Methods 14:1–9

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • USGS TWRI book 5 Chapter A4 (1987) Sulfate-reducing bacteria MPN method (method code 31855), US Geological Survey. US Government Printing Office, Washington, DC, pp 73–77

  • Vester F, Ingvorsen K (1998) Improved most-probable-number method to detect sulfate-reducing bacteria with natural media and radiotracer. Appl Environ Microbiol 64:1700–1707

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Widdel F (1988) Microbiology and ecology of sulfate- and sulfur-reducing bacteria. In: Zehnder AJB (ed) Biology of anaerobic microorganisms. Wiley, New York, pp 469–585

    Google Scholar 

  • Widdel F, Bak F (1992) Gram-negative mesophilic sulfate-reducing bacteria. In: Balows A, Trüper HG, Dworkin M, Harder W, Schleifer KH (eds) The prokaryotes, 2nd edn. Springer, NewYork, pp 3352–3378

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Xu D, Li Y, Gu T (2013) d-Methionine as a biofilm dispersal signaling molecule enhanced tetra kis hydroxymethyl phosphonium sulfate mitigation of Desulfovibrio vulgaris biofilm and biocorrosion pitting. Mater Corros. doi:10.1002/maco.201206894

    Google Scholar 

  • Zamora AC, Malaver N (2012) Methodological aspects for the culture and quantification of heterotrophic sulfate-reducing bacteria. Rev Soc Ven Microbiol 32:121–125

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The author is thankful to Dr SV Raju (GM R&D), Mr. M.C Nihalani (Head R&D projects) and Mr. Soumitra Sinha (CRS) of the Research and Development Department of Oil India Limited, Duliajan, for their constant encouragement and support.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. R & D Department, Oil India Limited, Duliajan, 786602, Assam, India

    Ranjan Kumar Bhagobaty

Authors
  1. Ranjan Kumar Bhagobaty
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ranjan Kumar Bhagobaty.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Bhagobaty, R.K. Culture dependent methods for enumeration of sulphate reducing bacteria (SRB) in the Oil and Gas industry. Rev Environ Sci Biotechnol 13, 11–16 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11157-014-9331-9

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11157-014-9331-9

Keywords

Search

Navigation