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Bioprospecting of Extremophilic Microorganisms to Address Environmental Pollution
Published on: December 30, 2021
Acinetobacter indicus sp. nov., isolated from a hexachlorocyclohexane dump site
Jaya Malhotra1, Shailly Anand1, Swati Jindal1
1Department of Zoology, University of Delhi, Delhi 110007, India.
International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology
|January 17, 2012
Summary
A novel bacterial species, Acinetobacter indicus, was identified from an Indian hexachlorocyclohexane dump site. This Gram-negative bacterium expands the known diversity within the Acinetobacter genus.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Bacterial Taxonomy
- Environmental Microbiology
Background:
- Hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) dump sites are contaminated environments.
- Identifying microbial diversity in such sites is crucial for understanding bioremediation potential.
Purpose of the Study:
- To taxonomically characterize a novel bacterial isolate, strain A648(T), from an HCH dump site in India.
- To determine if strain A648(T) represents a new species within the Acinetobacter genus.
Main Methods:
- Polyphasic taxonomic analysis including 16S rRNA and rpoB gene sequencing.
- DNA-DNA hybridization, chemotaxonomic analysis (fatty acids, polar lipids, polyamines), and phenotypic characterization.
- Phylogenetic analysis and comparison with closely related Acinetobacter species.
Main Results:
- Strain A648(T) showed high 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity (>97%) to the Acinetobacter genus but low DNA-DNA relatedness (<8%) with known species.
- Chemotaxonomic data (fatty acid profile, polar lipids, polyamines, respiratory quinone) supported its distinctness.
- Phenotypic characteristics differentiated it from other Acinetobacter species.
Conclusions:
- Strain A648(T) represents a novel species within the genus Acinetobacter.
- The proposed name for this new species is Acinetobacter indicus sp. nov., with strain A648(T) as the type strain.
- This discovery contributes to the understanding of bacterial diversity in contaminated environments.
