Improved recoverability of microbial colonies from marine sponge samples

The growth of microorganisms from marine sponge samples was studied on various low to high nutrient solid media using media supplements. The supplements utilized were catalase, sodium pyruvate, and a combination of the two. Medium composition was found to influence the growth response on the supplemented media. Microorganisms on low nutrient media responded more favorably to the media additions than on high nutrient media. Thirty-five percent of the supplemented media demonstrated colony forming unit (CFU) recoveries that were 50% or greater than those of the unamended control plates. Twenty-one percent showed recoveries of more than 100% of the control values, with sodium pyruvate additions providing for the greatest overall increase in recovery, whether alone or in conjunction with catalase. These findings suggest that addition of catalase or sodium pyruvate to solid growth and isolation media may improve recoverability of microorganisms from natural samples.