DNA isolation protocols affect the detection limit of PCR approaches of bacteria in samples from the human gastrointestinal tract

A major concern in molecular ecological studies is the lysis efficiency of different bacteria in a complex ecosystem. We used a PCR-based 16S rDNA approach to determine the effect of two DNA isolation protocols (i.e. the bead beating and Triton-X100 method) on the detection limit of seven feces-associated bacterial species of different genera. Glycogen was used in these protocols to improve the precipitation of small concentrations of DNA in ethanol without affecting the sequential procedures. The PCR detection limit of 16S rDNA amplicons on agarose gel from the seven strains tested varied between 8.0 (+/- 1.3) x 10(4) and 4.3 (+/- 1.6) x 10(6) cells for the bead beating method, and between 8.0 (+/- 1.3) x 10(4) and 5.4 (+/- 0.7) x 10(8) cells for the Triton X-100 method. These large differences are most like due to the difference in cell lysis efficiency, since a competitive PCR experiment did not indicate any preference for gram negative, low G+C gram positive or high G+C gram positive bacteria. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) analysis was performed to investigate the effect of both DNA isolation protocols on the lysis efficiency of bacteria in fecal samples. A higher diversity in fecal samples was observed with the bead beating method than with the Triton-X100 method. Bands in the bead beating method-derived DGGE profiles corresponding to bands of cloned sequences of the Clostridium coccoides-Eubacterium rectale group and uncultured Fusobacterium prausnitzii were absent or had low intensity in the Triton X-100 method-derived profiles. The applicability of the bead beating method was further investigated by analyzing biopsy samples from the human colon which contain approximately 10(6) cells.     

Long-term fertilization regimes change soil nitrification potential by impacting active autotrophic ammonia oxidizers and nitrite oxidizers as assessed by DNA stable isotope probing

Chemoautotrophic ammonia-oxidizers and nitrite-oxidizers are responsible for a significant amount of soil nitrate production. The identity and composition of these active nitrifiers in soils under different long-term fertilization regimes remain largely under-investigated. Based on that soil nitrification potential significantly decreased in soils with chemical fertilization (CF) and increased in soils with organic fertilization (OF), a microcosm experiment with DNA stable isotope probing was further conducted to clarify the active nitrifiers. Both ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and bacteria (AOB) were found to actively respond to urea addition in soils with OF and no fertilizer (CK), whereas only AOB were detected in soils with CF. Around 98% of active AOB were Nitrosospira cluster 3a.1 in all tested soils, and more than 90% of active AOA were Nitrososphaera subcluster 1.1 in unfertilized and organically fertilized soils. Nitrite oxidation was performed only by Nitrospira-like bacteria in all soils. The relative abundances of Nitrospira lineage I and VI were 32% and 61%, respectively, in unfertilized soils, and that of Nitrospira lineage II was 97% in fertilized soils, indicating long-term fertilization shifted the composition of active Nitrospira-like bacteria in response to urea. This finding indicates that different fertilizer regimes impact the composition of active nitrifiers, thus, impacting soil nitrification potential.     

Influence of land-use intensity on the spatial distribution of N-cycling microorganisms in grassland soils

A geostatistical approach using replicated grassland sites (10 m × 10 m) was applied to investigate the influence of grassland management, i.e. unfertilized pastures and fertilized mown meadows representing low and high land-use intensity (LUI), on soil biogeochemical properties and spatial distributions of ammonia-oxidizing and denitrifying microorganisms in soil. Spatial autocorrelations of the different N-cycling communities ranged between 1.4 and 7.6 m for ammonia oxidizers and from 0.3 m for nosZ-type denitrifiers to scales >14 m for nirK-type denitrifiers. The spatial heterogeneity of ammonia oxidizers and nirS-type denitrifiers increased in high LUI, but decreased for biogeochemical properties, suggesting that biotic and/or abiotic factors other than those measured are driving the spatial distribution of these microorganisms at the plot scale. Furthermore, ammonia oxidizers (amoA ammonia-oxidizing archaea and amoA ammonia-oxidizing bacteria) and nitrate reducers (napA and narG) showed spatial coexistence, whereas niche partitioning was found between nirK- and nirS-type denitrifiers. Together, our results indicate that spatial analysis is a useful tool to characterize the distribution of different functional microbial guilds with respect to soil biogeochemical properties and land-use management. In addition, spatial analyses allowed us to identify distinct distribution ranges indicating the coexistence or niche partitioning of N-cycling communities in grassland soil.     

三种粪便总DNA提取方法的比较

目的比较不同粪便总DNA提取方法对肠道菌群多样性研究的影响。方法采用Bead beating法、化学裂解法和QIAamp DNA Stool Mini Kit提取同一份人粪便样品的总DNA,对比3种方法的DNA得率和16S rRNA基因V3区的变性梯度凝胶电泳（DGGE）图谱。结果Bead beating法的DNA得率约是其他2种方法的2倍;3种方法得到的DGGE图谱的Dice相似性为60％～70％,2条优势条带只出现在Bead beating法图谱中。在2～5min的Bead beating法击打时间里,DNA得率随击打时间的延长有一定的增加,但DGGE图谱无显著变化。结论不同的DNA提取方法会影响菌群的多样性分析。比较其他2种方法,Bead beating的裂解效率更高,能够检测到更多种类的细菌,更合适肠道菌群组成的分子研究。     

The influence of alfalfa-switchgrass intercropping on microbial community structure and function

The use of nitrogen fertilizer on bioenergy crops such as switchgrass results in increased costs, nitrogen leaching and emissions of N₂O, a potent greenhouse gas. Intercropping with nitrogen-fixing alfalfa has been proposed as an environmentally sustainable alternative, but the effects of synthetic fertilizer versus intercropping on soil microbial community functionality remain uncharacterized. We analysed 24 metagenomes from the upper soil layer of agricultural fields from Prosser, WA over two growing seasons and representing three agricultural practices: unfertilized switchgrass (control), fertilized switchgrass and switchgrass intercropped with alfalfa. The synthetic fertilization and intercropping did not result in major shifts of microbial community taxonomic and functional composition compared with the control plots, but a few significant changes were noted. Most notably, mycorrhizal fungi, ammonia-oxidizing archaea and bacteria increased in abundance with intercropping and fertilization. However, only betaproteobacterial ammonia-oxidizing bacteria abundance in fertilized plots significantly correlated to N₂O emission and companion qPCR data. Collectively, a short period of intercropping elicits minor but significant changes in the soil microbial community toward nitrogen preservation and that intercropping may be a viable alternative to synthetic fertilization.     

Real-time quantitative PCR assay on bacterial DNA: In a model soil system and environmental samples

Real-time quantitative PCR (RTQ-PCR) was used to quantify the bacterial target DNA extracted by three commonly used DNA extraction protocols (bead mill homogenization, grinding in presence of liquid nitrogen and hot detergent SDS based enzymatic lysis). For the purpose of our study, pure culture of Bacillus cereus (model organism), sterilized soil seeded with a known amount of B. cereus (model soil system) and samples from woodland and grassland (environmental samples) were chosen to extract DNA by three different protocols. The extracted DNA was then quantified by RTQ-PCR using 16S rDNA specific universal bacterial primers. The standard curve used for the quantification by RTQ-PCR was linear and revealed a strong linear relationship (r(2)=0.9968) with a higher amplification efficiency, e5=1.02. High resolution gel electrophoresis was also carried out to observe the effect of these extraction methods on diversity analysis. For the model soil system, the liquid nitrogen method showed the highest target DNA copy number (1.3 x 10(9) copies/microl). However, for both the environmental samples, the bead beating method was found to be suitable on the basis of the high target DNA copy numbers (5.38 x 10(9) and 4.01 x 10(8) copies/ml for woodland and grassland respectively), high yield (6.4 microg/g and 1.76 microg/g of soil for woodland and grassland respectively) and different band patterns on high resolution gel electrophoresis suggesting an overall high extraction efficiency. This difference in the extraction efficiency between the model soil system and environmental samples may be attributed to different affinity of seeded and native DNA to soil particles.     

Does long-term fertilization treatment affect the response of soil ammonia-oxidizing bacterial communities to Zn contamination?

Experiments were conducted to examine the effects of long-term fertilization and acute Zn toxicity on the size, nitrification activity and community structure of autotrophic ammonia-oxidizing populations of the β-subgroup of the class Proteobacteria in arable soils. Plots under different long-term fertilization regimes were sampled, and then different concentrations of ZnCl₂ were spiked into soil samples for 8 weeks. It was found that long-term fertilization significantly increased nitrification rates and population size, and there was a positive correlation between them. A shift in the composition of AOB was also detected in samples fertilized with mineral N fertilizer (NPK) and organic matter (OM) as compared to unfertilized sample. EC50 values suggested that there was no significant difference in Zn toxicity to nitrification rates among the three fertilization treatments. Long-term fertilization did not improve the resilience of AOB activity to Zn toxicity.     

长期施肥对红壤水稻土磷脂脂肪酸特性和酶活性的影响

对中国科学院红壤生态实验站长期定位试验中不同施肥处理红壤水稻土磷脂脂肪酸(PLFA)特性及酶活性进行了分析.结果表明:不同施肥处理的土壤酶活性、养分、微生物生物量及微生物群落多样性差异较大;施肥处理增加了PLFA的种类和微生物量;施肥土壤的真菌PLFA量大于不施肥土壤,细菌PLFA量小于不施肥土壤,说明真菌较细菌更能适应养分贫瘠的条件.NPK平衡施肥和施有机肥处理的PLFA总量均高于施无机氮肥和未施肥处理,两者分别比未施肥处理高222%和79%,表明NPK平衡施肥和施有机肥更有利于作物生长.施肥还可增加土壤酶活性,其中,土壤脲酶和磷酸酶活性可以作为衡量土壤肥力水平的指标.     

Quantification of Nitrosomonas oligotropha-like ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and Nitrospira spp. from full-scale wastewater treatment plants by competitive PCR.

Utilizing the principle of competitive PCR, we developed two assays to enumerate Nitrosomonas oligotropha-like ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and nitrite-oxidizing bacteria belonging to the genus NITROSPIRA: The specificities of two primer sets, which were designed for two target regions, the amoA gene and Nitrospira 16S ribosomal DNA (rDNA), were verified by DNA sequencing. Both assays were optimized and applied to full-scale, activated sludge wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) samples. If it was assumed that there was an average of 3.6 copies of 16S rDNA per cell in the total population and two copies of the amoA gene per ammonia-oxidizing bacterial cell, the ammonia oxidizers examined represented 0.0033% +/- 0.0022% of the total bacterial population in a municipal WWTP. N. oligotropha-like ammonia-oxidizing bacteria were not detected in an industrial WWTP. If it was assumed that there was one copy of the 16S rDNA gene per nitrite-oxidizing bacterial cell, Nitrospira spp. represented 0.39% +/- 0.28% of the biosludge population in the municipal WWTP and 0.37% +/- 0.23% of the population in the industrial WWTP. The number of Nitrospira sp. cells in the municipal WWTP was more than 62 times greater than the number of N. oligotropha-like cells, based on a competitive PCR analysis. The results of this study extended our knowledge of the comparative compositions of nitrifying bacterial populations in wastewater treatment systems. Importantly, they also demonstrated that we were able to quantify these populations, which ultimately will be required for accurate prediction of process performance and stability for cost-effective design and operation of WWTPs.     

Application of real-time PCR to study effects of ammonium on population size of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria in soil

Ammonium oxidation by autotrophic ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) is a key process in agricultural and natural ecosystems and has a large global impact. In the past, the ecology and physiology of AOB were not well understood because these organisms are notoriously difficult to culture. Recent applications of molecular techniques have advanced our knowledge of AOB, but the necessity of using PCR-based techniques has made quantitative measurements difficult. A quantitative real-time PCR assay targeting part of the ammonia-monooxygenase gene (amoA) was developed to estimate AOB population size in soil. This assay has a detection limit of 1.3 x 10(5) cells/g of dry soil. The effect of the ammonium concentration on AOB population density was measured in soil microcosms by applying 0, 1.5, or 7.5 mM ammonium sulfate. AOB population size and ammonium and nitrate concentrations were monitored for 28 days after (NH4)2SO4 application. AOB populations in amended treatments increased from an initial density of approximately 4 x 10(6) cells/g of dry soil to peak values (day 7) of 35 x 10(6) and 66 x 10(6) cells/g of dry soil in the 1.5 and 7.5 mM treatments, respectively. The population size of total bacteria (quantified by real-time PCR with a universal bacterial probe) remained between 0.7 x 10(9) and 2.2 x 10(9) cells/g of soil, regardless of the ammonia concentration. A fertilization experiment was conducted in a tomato field plot to test whether the changes in AOB density observed in microcosms could also be detected in the field. AOB population size increased from 8.9 x 10(6) to 38.0 x 10(6) cells/g of soil by day 39. Generation times were 28 and 52 h in the 1.5 and 7.5 mM treatments, respectively, in the microcosm experiment and 373 h in the ammonium treatment in the field study. Estimated oxidation rates per cell ranged initially from 0.5 to 25.0 fmol of NH4+ h(-1) cell(-1) and decreased with time in both microcosms and the field. Growth yields were 5.6 x 10(6), 17.5 x 10(6), and 1.7 x 10(6) cells/mol of NH4+ in the 1.5 and 7.5 mM microcosm treatments and the field study, respectively. In a second field experiment, AOB population size was significantly greater in annually fertilized versus unfertilized soil, even though the last ammonium application occurred 8 months prior to measurement, suggesting a long-term effect of ammonium fertilization on AOB population size.     

Seasonal variations in abundance and activity of nitrifiers in four arable cropping systems

Ammonium and nitrite oxidizers were counted with the most probable number (MPN) method and potential ammonium- and nitrite-oxidation rates were determined with a chlorate inhibition technique in an arable soil over a 3-year period. Samples were taken from the topsoil once a month for 2 years and a few times during a third year in four cropping systems: unfertilized lucerne ley and barley, and nitrate fertilized grass ley and barley. The distribution of nitrifiers was determined and their activities measured at various soil depths and between and within plant rows of fertilized barley.The numbers and activities of ammonium oxidizers were highest in the spring and autumn samples. Numbers of ammonium oxidizers ranged from 0.2 to 19×10⁴ and nitrite oxidizers from 3 to 870×10⁴ cells g^–1 dry soil. Potential ammonium-oxidizer activities ranged from 120 to 1,060 and nitrite-oxidizer activities ranged from 280 to 680 ng N g^–1 dry soil hour^–1. Lucerne and grass leys generally showed the highest, whereas unfertilized barley had the lowest, abundances and activities.Abundance estimates and activities were 10–20 times higher in the plow layer than in underlying sand and clay layers. A strong correlation was found between organic matter content vs numbers and activities of both ammonium and nitrite oxidizers. Only nitrite oxidizer counts were significantly higher within plant rows compared to between plant rows.     

Nitrification and Autotrophic Nitrifying Bacteria in a Hydrocarbon-Polluted Soil

In vitro ammonia-oxidizing bacteria are capable of oxidizing hydrocarbons incompletely. This transformation is accompanied by competitive inhibition of ammonia monooxygenase, the first key enzyme in nitrification. The effect of hydrocarbon pollution on soil nitrification was examined in situ. In a microcosm study, adding diesel fuel hydrocarbon to an uncontaminated soil (agricultural unfertilized soil) treated with ammonium sulfate dramatically reduced the amount of KCl-extractable nitrate but stimulated ammonium consumption. In a soil with long history of pollution that was treated with ammonium sulfate, 90% of the ammonium was transformed into nitrate after 3 weeks of incubation. Nitrate production was twofold higher in the contaminated soil than in the agricultural soil to which hydrocarbon was not added. To assess if ammonia-oxidizing bacteria acquired resistance to inhibition by hydrocarbon, the contaminated soil was reexposed to diesel fuel. Ammonium consumption was not affected, but nitrate production was 30% lower than nitrate production in the absence of hydrocarbon. The apparent reduction in nitrification resulted from immobilization of ammonium by hydrocarbon-stimulated microbial activity. These results indicated that the hydrocarbon inhibited nitrification in the noncontaminated soil (agricultural soil) and that ammonia-oxidizing bacteria in the polluted soil acquired resistance to inhibition by the hydrocarbon, possibly by increasing the affinity of nitrifying bacteria for ammonium in the soil.     

Nitrification and autotrophic nitrifying bacteria in a hydrocarbon-polluted soil.

In vitro ammonia-oxidizing bacteria are capable of oxidizing hydrocarbons incompletely. This transformation is accompanied by competitive inhibition of ammonia monooxygenase, the first key enzyme in nitrification. The effect of hydrocarbon pollution on soil nitrification was examined in situ. In a microcosm study, adding diesel fuel hydrocarbon to an uncontaminated soil (agricultural unfertilized soil) treated with ammonium sulfate dramatically reduced the amount of KCl-extractable nitrate but stimulated ammonium consumption. In a soil with long history of pollution that was treated with ammonium sulfate, 90% of the ammonium was transformed into nitrate after 3 weeks of incubation. Nitrate production was twofold higher in the contaminated soil than in the agricultural soil to which hydrocarbon was not added. To assess if ammonia-oxidizing bacteria acquired resistance to inhibition by hydrocarbon, the contaminated soil was reexposed to diesel fuel. Ammonium consumption was not affected, but nitrate production was 30% lower than nitrate production in the absence of hydrocarbon. The apparent reduction in nitrification resulted from immobilization of ammonium by hydrocarbon-stimulated microbial activity. These results indicated that the hydrocarbon inhibited nitrification in the noncontaminated soil (agricultural soil) and that ammonia-oxidizing bacteria in the polluted soil acquired resistance to inhibition by the hydrocarbon, possibly by increasing the affinity of nitrifying bacteria for ammonium in the soil.     

Simazine application inhibits nitrification and changes the ammonia-oxidizing bacterial communities in a fertilized agricultural soil

s-Triazine herbicides are widely used for weed control, and are persistent in soils. Nitrification is an essential process in the global nitrogen cycle in soil, and involves ammonia-oxidizing Bacteria (AOB) and ammonia-oxidizing Archaea (AOA). In this study, we evaluated the effect of the s-triazine herbicide simazine on the nitrification and on the structure of ammonia-oxidizing microbial communities in a fertilized agricultural soil. The effect of simazine on AOB and AOA were studied by PCR-amplification of amoA genes of nitrifying Bacteria and Archaea in soil microcosms and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) analyses. Simazine [50?μg g(-1) dry weight soil (d.w.s)] completely inhibited the nitrification processes in the fertilized agricultural soil. The inhibition by simazine of ammonia oxidation observed was similar to the reduction of ammonia oxidation by the nitrification inhibitor acetylene. The application of simazine-affected AOB community DGGE patterns in the agricultural soil amended with ammonium, whereas no significant changes in the AOA community were observed. The DGGE analyses strongly suggest that simazine inhibited Nitrosobacteria and specifically Nitrosospira species. In conclusion, our results suggest that the s-triazine herbicide not only inhibits the target susceptible plants but also inhibits the ammonia oxidation and the AOB in fertilized soils.     

Evidence that Ammonia-Oxidizing Archaea are More Abundant than Ammonia-Oxidizing Bacteria in Semiarid Soils of Northern Arizona,USA

Autotrophic ammonia-oxidizing communities, which are responsible for the rate-limiting step of nitrification in most soils, have not been studied extensively in semiarid ecosystems. Abundances of soil archaeal and bacterial amoA were measured with real-time polymerase chain reaction along an elevation gradient in northern Arizona. Archaeal amoA was the predominant form of amoA at all sites; however, ratios of archaeal to bacterial amoA ranged from 17 to more than 1,600. Although size of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria populations was correlated with precipitation, temperature, percent sand, and soil C/N, there were no significant relationships between ammonia-oxidizing archaea populations and any of the environmental parameters evaluated in this study. Our results suggest that in these soils, archaea may be the primary ammonia oxidizers, and that ammonia-oxidizing archaea and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria occupy different niches.     

Improved extraction of PCR-quality community DNA from digesta and fecal samples

Several DNA extraction methods have been reported for use with digesta or fecal samples, but problems are often encountered in terms of relatively low DNA yields and/or recovering DNA free of inhibitory substances. Here we report a modified method to extract PCR-quality microbial community DNA from these types of samples, which employs bead beating in the presence of high concentrations of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), salt, and EDTA, and with subsequent DNA purification by QIAamp columns [referred to as repeated bead beating plus column (RBB + C) method]. The RBB + C method resulted in a 1.5- to 6-fold increase in DNA yield when compared to three other widely used methods. The community DNA prepared with the RBB + C method was also free of inhibitory substances and resulted in improved denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) profiles, which is indicative of a more complete lysis and representation of microbial diversity present in such samples.     

鸡蛋胚下表层卵黄DNA的提取方法

利用Ficoll-400不连续密度梯度离心将受精和未受精鸡蛋的胚下表层卵黄进行纯化, 显微镜观察表明卵黄球形态良好, 没有胚细胞的存在.然后利用较高浓度的蛋白酶K消化,较长时间的酚抽提,最后提取了DNA. 电泳显示DNA条带清晰.该方法简便快速,从每个鸡蛋的胚下表层卵黄可回收10 ng DNA.     

Responses of soil nitrogen-fixing, ammonia-oxidizing, and denitrifying bacterial communities to long-term chlorimuron-ethyl stress in a continuously cropped soybean field in Northeast China

Chlorimuron-ethyl is a type of long-residual herbicide applied widely to soybean fields in China, but little information is available about the long-term impact of this herbicide on soil nitrogen-transforming microbial communities. Soil samples (0–20 cm) were collected from three treatments (no, 5-year and 10-year application of chlorimuron-ethyl) in a continuously cropped soybean field. Plate count (CFU), most probable number (MPN) count, and clone library analyses were conducted to investigate the abundance and composition of nitrogen-fixing, ammonia-oxidizing, and denitrifying bacterial communities, and a chlorate inhibition method was adopted to measure the soil nitrification potential. Long-term chlorimuron-ethyl application reduced the abundance of soil culturable nitrogen-fixing, ammonia-oxidizing, and denitrifying bacteria. Moreover, chlorimuron-ethyl decreased the diversity of nitrogen-fixing and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria but promoted that of denitrifying bacteria. Chlorimuron-ethyl restrained some uncultured nitrogen-fixing bacteria, ammonia-oxidizing bacteria Nitrosospira sp. cluster 3a and 3d, and some novel or putative denitrifying bacteria. The nitrogen-fixing bacteria were closely related to Bradyrhizobium sp., ammonia-oxidizing bacteria Nitrosospira sp. cluster 3b and 3c, and most denitrifying bacteria were resistant to chlorimuron-ethyl. There was a negative correlation between the nitrification potential and the residual amount of soil chlorimuron-ethyl (R²?=?0.88, n?=?3, P?<?0.05). Therefore, long-term application of chlorimuron-ethyl in the continuously cropped soybean field could seriously disturb soil N-transforming communities, and might impact soybean soil biological quality and soybean growth. Further studies should address rational amendment models of this herbicide to reduce the possible ecological risks of long-term application of this herbicide to soybean fields.     

Evaluation of methods for the extraction and purification of DNA from the human microbiome

Background

DNA extraction is an essential step in all cultivation-independent approaches to characterize microbial diversity, including that associated with the human body. A fundamental challenge in using these approaches has been to isolate DNA that is representative of the microbial community sampled.

Methodology/Principal Findings

In this study, we statistically evaluated six commonly used DNA extraction procedures using eleven human-associated bacterial species and a mock community that contained equal numbers of those eleven species. These methods were compared on the basis of DNA yield, DNA shearing, reproducibility, and most importantly representation of microbial diversity. The analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences from a mock community showed that the observed species abundances were significantly different from the expected species abundances for all six DNA extraction methods used.

Conclusions/Significance

Protocols that included bead beating and/or mutanolysin produced significantly better bacterial community structure representation than methods without both of them. The reproducibility of all six methods was similar, and results from different experimenters and different times were in good agreement. Based on the evaluations done it appears that DNA extraction procedures for bacterial community analysis of human associated samples should include bead beating and/or mutanolysin to effectively lyse cells.     

Bioremediation (natural attenuation and biostimulation) of diesel-oil-contaminated soil in an alpine glacier skiing area.

We investigated the feasibility of bioremediation as a treatment option for a chronically diesel-oil-polluted soil in an alpine glacier area at an altitude of 2,875 m above sea level. To examine the efficiencies of natural attenuation and biostimulation, we used field-incubated lysimeters (mesocosms) with unfertilized and fertilized (N-P-K) soil. For three summer seasons (July 1997 to September 1999), we monitored changes in hydrocarbon concentrations in soil and soil leachate and the accompanying changes in soil microbial counts and activity. A significant reduction in the diesel oil level could be achieved. At the end of the third summer season (after 780 days), the initial level of contamination (2,612 +/- 70 microg of hydrocarbons g [dry weight] of soil(-1)) was reduced by (50 +/- 4)% and (70 +/- 2)% in the unfertilized and fertilized soil, respectively. Nonetheless, the residual levels of contamination (1,296 +/- 110 and 774 +/- 52 microg of hydrocarbons g [dry weight] of soil(-1) in the unfertilized and fertilized soil, respectively) were still high. Most of the hydrocarbon loss occurred during the first summer season ([42 +/- 6]% loss) in the fertilized soil and during the second summer season ([41 +/- 4]% loss) in the unfertilized soil. In the fertilized soil, all biological parameters (microbial numbers, soil respiration, catalase and lipase activities) were significantly enhanced and correlated significantly with each other, as well as with the residual hydrocarbon concentration, pointing to the importance of biodegradation. The effect of biostimulation of the indigenous soil microorganisms declined with time. The microbial activities in the unfertilized soil fluctuated around background levels during the whole study.