Sulfate-reducing bacteria Desulfobulbus sp strain BH from a freshwater lake in Guizhou Province, China

Sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) from the anaerobic sediments of the freshwater Baihua Lake (Guizhou Province, China) at eutrophicated sites polluted with heavy metals, particularly with mercury, have been studied. SRB belonging to the genus Desulfobulbus prevailed. A detailed study of the dominating Desulfobulbus isolate designated as strain BH revealed its difference in regards to genetic, morphological, physiological, and biochemical characteristics from the other species of this genus. Strain BH utilized a wide range of organic substrates, demonstrated a high level of hydrogen sulfide production, and could be considered an important component of the microbial community in the polluted lake.