Survival of Desulfotomaculum spores from estuarine sediments after serial autoclaving and high-temperature exposure

What is it about?

Some Desulfotomaculum species form spores that show particularly high temperature resistance. They can survive autoclaving at temperatures up to 135°C and repeated (triple) autoclaving. Within a single Desulfotomaculum culture spores of varying temperature sensitivity are formed. While most survive pasteurization, triple autoclaving is survived by a few per cent of the spore population. Generally, culturability of spores is significantly higher than that of vegetative cells.

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Why is it important?

The ability of endospores to withstand high temperatures and the absence of an active metabolism may allow them to survive deep burial and to germinate in warmer, deeper sediment and rock layers, and/or to be transported in deep crustal and geothermal fluids. This robustness makes them ideal shuttles to colonize fresh crustal rocks or volcanic soils.