Numerical Taxonomy of Moderately Halophilic Gram-negative Rods Isolated from the Salar de Atacama, Chile

Biodiversity and phylogenetic analysis of culturable bacteria indigenous to Khewra salt mine of Pakistan and their industrial importance

“…It has been documented that Bacillus species are attractive industrial organisms for a variety of reasons, including their high growth rates leading to short fermentation cycle time and their ability to secrete proteins in extracellular medium (20). In the present study B. amyloliquefaciens (BPT-5), B. cereus (BPT-6), B. licheniformis 18,19) and B. pumilus (BPT-25) were found to be efficient producers of industrially important enzymes with tremendous potential for commercial exploitation. This is the first report investigating the microbiology of the Khewra salt mine, which has been proven to be an important ecological nich for industrially important microorganisms.…”

“…Out of seven B. licheniformis strains (BPT -7, 11, 12, 18, 19, 20 and 23) only three (BPT-7, 12, and 20) formed endospores (Table 3). Moreover, out of four strains 18,19,20) (1,10). Due to the ubiquity and capability to survive under adverse conditions, heterotrophic Bacillus strains cannot be considered species of certain specific habitats (1).…”

“…All isolates were tested against starch, carboxymethylcellulose (CMC), xylane, cellulose, and casein degradation in plate assays. 11,18,19 and 25 indicated the production of copious amounts of carbohydrates and protein degrading enzymes. Based on this study it can be concluded that Khewra salt mine is populated with diverse bacterial groups, which are potential source of industrial enzymes for commercial applications.…”

“…Including the Gram-negative halophilic like species of the genera Vibrio, Alteromonas, Acinetobacter, Marinomonas and Pseudomonas (18). Similarly species of the genera Marinococcus, Sporosarcina, Salinococcus and Bacillus have been recovered from saline soils and salterns (5).…”

Halorubrum tebenquichense sp. nov., a novel halophilic archaeon isolated from the Atacama Saltern, Chile.

“…Because of its location in the Atacama Desert at 2300 m above sea level, it is a unique environment. Previous studies have shown that the microbiota of Lake Tebenquiche, situated in the northern part of the saltern, consist of a heterogeneous group of extremophile micro-organisms (Campos et al, 1990 ;Prado et al, 1991Prado et al, , 1993. Abbreviations : S-DGD-3, mannosyl-2-sulfate-(1-4)-glycosyl-archaeol ; S-DGD-5, mannosyl-2-sulfate-(1-2)-glycosyl-archaeol.…”