Growth and starvation of a strain of Klebsiella pneumoniae isolated from a Brazilian oil formation

The changes that occur in cell size and shape during experimental starvation and resuscitation of bacteria may find practical application in the biotechnological processes used in microbial enhanced oil-recovery (MEOR), in insitu bioremediation and in the creation of biobarriers. In the work described here, the aim was to observe certain aspects of the response of a strain of Klebsiella pneumoniae, isolated from oil producer wells belonging to PETROBRAS (National Oil Company of Brazil), to starvation and growth under various culture conditions. Cells of K.pneumoniae were taken from an exponentially-growing culture, washed and suspended in phosphate-buffered saline solution, without nutrients, where they remained for 91days. Aliquots were withdrawn periodically, to perform viable and total cell counts and measure the optical density and cell dimensions. The starved cells were resuspended in sodium citrate medium, where they recuperated and exhibited a typical growth curve. The results indicate that this strain is a viable option for future trials on the transport and growth of microorganisms inside porous media, aimed at possible applications in MEOR.