A note on the isolation and enumeration of Gram positive cocci from marine and estuarine waters

Ninety-two percent of Gram positive cocci detected in estuarine and marine surface waters were identified as Staphylococcus spp. Micrococcus and Streptococcus spp. were rarely isolated from seawater, except at dump site stations located in the Puerto Rico Trench area of the Atlantic Ocean, where they were present in unusually large numbers. Staphylococci were present in greatest abundance near land, but were also found in open ocean surface waters in low, but relatively constant, numbers. Staphylococcus epidermidis , or strains related to Staph. hominis , were present in all samples. Staphylococci from surface water samples collected at the Puerto Rico Trench dump site degraded a wide range of compounds. It is considered that these cocci were derived from the wastes dumped, as very few were found in unpolluted marine waters and in those cases in which stimulatory factors, such as disposal of wastes, do not play a role, Gram positive cocci will not be recovered unless large volumes of water are filtered. The Gram positive cocci are present in very low numbers in natural seawater of the open ocean and, therefore, are commonly overlooked. The significance of these bacteria in the nutrient cycles of the sea remains to be elucidated. Documentation of a widespread occurrence of Gram positive cocci in North Eastern Atlantic seawater is provided.