Pure Culture of Anabaena flos-aquae A-37

Abstract

SEVERAL methods have been proposed for the isolation of bacteria-free cultures of algae^1–6. Methods reported to provide some measure of success, using antibiotics, ultraviolet light, chlorine compounds, etc., are fairly drastic and, in some cases, mutagenic. The problem of separating algae from bacteria may be related to a binomial distribution function in which the probability of choosing a bacteria-free algal colony in any trial varies in an unknown fashion from one trial to another. Successful, practical use of the proposed method may be expected only when the chance of choosing a bacteria-free algal colony exceeds about one in twenty.