A survey on bacteria isolated as hydrogen sulfide- producers from marine fish

Aim of the work was to identify sulfide-producers isolated from tuna and swordfish and to evaluate some physiological characteristics, particularly those that could be related to spoiling potential. 16S rDNA sequencing revealed Shewanella baltica as the main species, followed by Serratia spp. and other Shewanella species, while RAPD- and rep-PCR analyses indicated the presence of several biotypes. Shewanella baltica and Shewanella putrefaciens showed rapid growth at 4 and 8 °C, production of TMA and H2S, amino acids decarboxylation and proteolytic activity also at refrigeration temperatures, therefore being potentially able to modify texture and sensory characteristics of finfish. Extracellular DNAse activity and growth in presence of high salt concentrations can provide a competitive advantage in unfavourable environments. Our data provide new insights into specific metabolic features of Shewanella spp., rarely studied before, such as extracellular DNAse activity and amino acid decarboxylating activity. Moreover, our results highlight the clear necessity of more specific media and research methods to count H2S-producing bacteria.