Pseudomonas fluorescens, Gram-negative, SEM

Coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of Pseudomonas fluorescens, Gram-negative, aerobic, rod prokaryote. P. fluorescens encompasses a group of common pseudomonads, which are non-pathogenic saprophytes that colonize soil, water and plant surfaces. A number of strains of P. fluorescens suppress plant diseases by protecting the seeds and roots from fungal infection. This effect is the result of production of a number of secondary metabolites including antibiotics, siderophores and hydrogen cyanide. It is primarily an obligate aerobe, however some strains can utilize nitrate (NO3) as an electron acceptor in place of oxygen (O2). It is motile by means of multiple polar flagella. P. fluorescens is used in bioremediation applications due to various strains have the inherent metabolic diversity to partially or completely degrade pollutants such as styrene, TNT and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Magnification: x2,600 when shortest axis printed at 25