Isolation and identification of marine bacterial strains on the efficiency of degrading chlorpyrifos
Paper Details
Isolation and identification of marine bacterial strains on the efficiency of degrading chlorpyrifos
Abstract
Chlorpyrifos is a widely used organophosphate pesticide that poses severe environmental and health risks due to its persistence in ecosystems. This study aimed to isolate marine bacteria from marine waters of Kerala (Cochin, Kollam and Calicut) and screen their potential for chlorpyrifos degradation. A total of 30 bacterial strains were isolated and characterised using morphological (colony shape, surface, margin, color, elevation, consistency, opacity) and biochemical tests (Gram staining, indole production, methyl red, Voges-Proskauer, citrate utilization, catalase, carbohydrate fermentation, triple sugar iron, urease, coagulase, DNase, oxidase and lecithinase tests). The isolates belonged to diverse genera including Acinetobacter, Bacillus, Pseudomonas, Vibrio, Serratia, Shewanella, Alteromonas, Pseudoalteromonas, Photobacterium, Staphylococcus, Enterobacter, Halomonas and Marinobacter. Growth tolerance screening for chlorpyrifos degradation (25–100 μL) revealed five isolates (AKCD06, AKCD07, AKCD10, AKCD19 and AKCD20) capable of surviving at the highest concentration (100 μL). Among these, AKCD07, AKCD10, AKCD12, AKCD19 and AKCD20 were identified as the most promising degraders. Notably, AKCA07 (Pseudomonas aeruginosa) from Calicut demonstrated superior chlorpyrifos degradation potential compared to all other strains, attributed to its organophosphate hydrolase (OPH) enzyme activity. These marine bacterial isolates, particularly P. aeruginosa AKCA07, represent valuable candidates for bioremediation of chlorpyrifos-contaminated environments and warrant further investigation through quantitative degradation assays, enzyme characterization and field trials.
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