Production of docosahexaenoic acid by marine bacteria isolated from deep sea fish.

Five bacterial strains isolated from the intestine of deep sea fish were shown to produce docosahexaenoic acid (22:6n-3; DHA) at a level of 6.4 to 11.6% of total fatty acids when incubated in DHA-free medium. In all of the strains examined, other polyunsaturated fatty acids were barely detectable, except for eicosapentaenoic acid (20:5n-3). A typical strain, such as T3615, produced DHA at a concentration of about 0.8 mg/L within six days of aerobic incubation at 5 degrees C and under atmospheric pressure. The T3615 strain, belonging to the genus Vibrio, is rod-shaped, Gram-negative, motile and facultatively anaerobic.