Detection of methanogenic archaea in seawater particles and the digestive tract of a marine fish species

Abstract

A methanogen-specific nested PCR approach was used to detect methanogenic archaea in seawater particles of the North Sea and the feces and the digestive tract of flounder ( Platichthys flesus ), a fish found in the North Sea. A number of 16S rDNA sequences with 97.6–99.5% similarity to Methanococcoides methylutens were found in the seawater particles as well as the digestive tract and fecal samples.