Sewage Sludge Microbes   IMAGE CREDITS: Frank Dazzo Click on images to see bigger pictures of this microbe.   Different views and magnifications of the same species of microbe.  Sludge Eaters Sewage is home to many microbes. Many of these microbes are the main workers in cleaning up sewage sludge. They eat the sludge and release carbon dioxide gas,water and trace minerals. These weird, coiled-shaped microbes live with other microbes in a culture from sewage sludge. Weird Shapes Most bacteria are shaped like short or long rods, spheres or cork screws. The bacterium shown above is unusual because it is coiled. No on knows why they grow in coils. Unknown Bacterium Like most bacteria in nature, little is known about this bacterium. We know its shape and where it lives, yet know one knows what it eats, what microbes it is related to, or what it does in sludge.     Click here to see past microbes of the month.  Dirtland || Animal Pavilion || Snack Bar || Space Adventure || Waterworld || Microbe Archive || ISME

© 1999 Comm Tech Lab, Michigan State University. This work was created with support from the National Science Foundation and the Center for Microbial Ecology at Michigan State University. Current maintenance is supported by the International Society for Microbial Ecology and the Comm Tech Lab. The Microbe of the Month is sponsored by the International Society for Microbial Ecology. This page last updated 9/22/99