Biosynthesis of Pyocyanine by a Paraffin Hydrocarbon-oxidizing Strain of <i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i>

Abstract

A paraffin-oxidizing bacterium, designated as Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATS-14, was isolated from soil samples obtained from the Athabasca "tar sands." This strain utilized kerosene as the only carbon source of energy and produced a high concentration of pyocyanine in the culture medium. Aromatic carbons were not attacked, but C(10) to C(17)n-alkanes were readily oxidized by the pseudomonad and formed pyocyanine. The highest yield of the pigment was obtained from hexadecane and heptadecane.