ISOLATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF A NOVEL BENZOATE- UTILIZING Serratia marcescens

A new benzoate-utilizing strain, Serratia marcescens DS-8, isolated from the environment was characterized. The strain was enterobacilli, Gram negative, mesophilic, non ha lophilic, and aerobic bacterium that showed motile ovale-rod shaped cells. The isolate produced extracellular chitinase, proteas...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: ANTONIUS SUWANTO, DWI SURYANTO
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SEAMEO, BIOTROP 2003-01-01
Series:Biotropia: The Southeast Asian Journal of Tropical Biology
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Online Access:http://journal.biotrop.org/index.php/biotropia/article/view/184/153
Description
Summary:A new benzoate-utilizing strain, Serratia marcescens DS-8, isolated from the environment was characterized. The strain was enterobacilli, Gram negative, mesophilic, non ha lophilic, and aerobic bacterium that showed motile ovale-rod shaped cells. The isolate produced extracellular chitinase, protease, and prodigiosin (a red pigment pr oduced by several Serratia strains yielding bright red or pink colonies). A physiological assay using Microbact* test showed that the strain was closely related to Klebsiella ozaenae (49.85%) and Serratia liquefaciens (24.42%), respectively. However, 16S rRNA sequence analysis indicated that the strain was closely related to S. marcescens DSM 30121 with similarity level of 98%. DS-8 strain was able to synthesize its own vitamins. Optimum growth in benzoate was obtained at pH between 7-8.5 and NaCl concentration of 1- 1.5% (w/v). The isolate could grow in benzoate-containing medium up to 10 mM. Other carbon sources that could support the growth of DS-8 were casamino acid, glutamate, glucose, acetate, potato star ch, and ethanol.
ISSN:0215-6334
1907-770X