Molecular Methods in Microbiologically Influenced Corrosion Research, Monitoring and Control

Microbiologically Influenced Corrosion (MIC) is an enormous problem in different industrial sectors with large economical consequences. Although research has been performed on microorganisms associated with MIC, the causative microbes have not been identified yet. Traditional microbiological techniques have been used, but they only detect 1% of the microbes in nature and so are not suited for this purpose. Molecular methods, based on DNA and RNA, are more efficient to characterize microbial communities in different environments, as they are sensitive and reliable, and not dependent on cultivation. In this chapter we give an overview of nucleic acid-based molecular methods that have been used to study microbial communities associated with MIC and give an outlook on the use of novel, state-of-the art methods that might be applied in the future.