Community dynamics and phylogenetics of bacteria fouling Jet A and JP-8 aviation fuel

Aviation fuel and fuel systems support the proliferation of microorganisms. Fuel and fuel system fouling by microbes, and associated problems, have been reported since the 1960s. This study compares the community dynamics and phylogenetics of bacteria extracted from different types of aviation fuel, Jet A and JP-8, collected within the United States, and JP-8, collected abroad, in order to determine if bacterial communities differ between fuels and locations. Clone libraries containing 16S rDNA sequences of bacteria collected from Jet A and JP-8 fuel located within the U.S. were compared and results showed significant differences in the phylogenetic structure of each community. Both bacterial communities from fuel collected within the U.S. (Jet A and JP-8) were also shown to be significantly different (P < 0.05) from the bacterial community collected in JP-8 abroad. Results demonstrate that the survival and proliferation of bacteria in hydrocarbon sources is dependent on a variety of influences, including type of fuel and geographic location.