Isolation and Identification of Phenanthrene Degrading Marine Isolates from Indian Ocean

Marine water contamination by hydrocarbon and its by-products are currently a worldwide issue. Microorganisms that can ingest hydrocarbons for growth, sustenance, and metabolic processes, classified as Hydrocarbonoclastic bacteria are identified as promising biocontrol agents for the degradation of hydrocarbons. Thus, in the present study, an attempt was made to isolate hydrocarbonoclastic bacterial species that are capable of utilising and degrading Phenanthrene, a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon as the sole carbon source. A total of 16 bacterial isolates were obtained as pure cultures from the samples collected at varying depths of 3 to 3500 m from Indian Ocean by the sequential isolation process with Phenanthrene incorporated into the growth media. Growth specificity of the isolates was estimated by subjecting the isolates to different ranges of pH, salinity and temperature. Based on the specificity tests, 3 isolates were selected as potential candidates that can grow well in Phenanthrene. Further, molecular characterization of these isolates by 16s rRNA sequence revealed the identity as Alcanivorax dieselolei, Rhodococcus pyridinivorans and Halomonas titanicae.