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Year: 2013 | Volume: 8 | Issue: 7 | Page No.: 841 - 851
M. Srikanth Reddy, Fatimah Md. Yusoff, B. Naresh and Prathibha Devi
Abstract
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) are persistent hydrophobic organic pollutants ubiquitously found in the environment. PAHs consist of cytotoxic, mutagenic and carcinogenic properties and causes serious hazard to human health and environment. Hence, in this investigation eight phenanthrene (250 mg L-1) degrading bacterial strains were isolated by enrichment method from petroleum contaminated sludge samples. Among these isolates, one efficient degrading strain was identified and characterized by using morphological, biochemical, chemotaxonomic (FAMEs analysis) and molecular (16S rDNA sequencing) methods. Based on these studies the strain was identified as gram positive, motile, spore forming, pink pigmented cocci with oxidase negative reaction and utilized sugars such as arabinose, xylose and rhamnose as carbon source. It is susceptible to kanamycin, nalidixic acid and novobiocin type of antibiotics. The dominant fatty acids found in this strain are 15:0 anteiso (44.16%), 15:0 iso (26.36%). Phylogenetic analysis of this strain showed 99% sequence similarity with Kocuria rosea and the strain name as PDM-7 was adopted. The degradation study illustrates that this strain utilizing about 82% of phenanthrene in six days. Therefore, this strain can be efficiently used for the bioremediation of PAHs contaminated marine environments and soils.