Isolation Of Bacillus Paranthracis From The Gut Of Earthworm Fed With Arsenic Accumulated Eichhornia Crassipes

Abstract

The present study was intended to isolate and molecularly identify Arsenic resistant bacteria from the gut of earthworms (Eisenia fetida) fed with arsenic accumulated Eichhornia crassipes. Earthworm gut content was serially diluted and plated to isolate bacteria, followed by purification using the fourquadrant streak method. Among the isolates, one bacterial strain was high resistance to arsenic, tolerating concentrations up to 1000 ppm with no evident of inhibition zone in the disc diffusion assay. The genomic DNA of the isolate was extracted and subjected to 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The amplified sequence showed 97.85% similarity with bacillus paranthracis and was submitted to GenBank (Accession No. OQ568227). The high arsenic tolerance observed suggests the presence of adaptive mechanisms such as metal binding proteins or efflux systems. These findings effectively highlight the potential of B.paranthracis as a bioremediation agent in arsenic contaminated environments