Exploring the diversity and bioremediation potential of thermohalophilic bacteria from Wawolesea geothermal spring, southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia

Abstract

The Wawolesea hot springs in southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia, offer an extreme environment that presents a significant opportunity for the diversity of extremophilic microorganisms, especially thermohalophilic bacteria.These bacteria have a knack for enduring surroundings featuring both high temperatures and significant salt levels, enabling them to generate a range of enzymes that sustain their stability even in harsh conditions.This research aims to explore the diversity of thermohalophilic bacteria found in the Wawolesea hot springs and evaluate their potential to aid in bioremediation, particularly for reducing environmental pollution caused by heavy metals.The isolation of bacteria was performed using both the pour plate and streak methods on nutrient agar (NA) medium, and afterward, the bacterial cultures were kept in an incubator at 48 C for a duration of 24 hours.By employing 16S rRNA PCR amplification, genetic identification revealed a 1300 bp target band pointing to the existence of various Enterobacter species: Enterobacter sp., Enterobacter ludwigii, Enterobacter roggenkampii, Enterobacter asburiae, Enterobacter cloacae, Enterobacter mori, Enterobacter quasiroggenkampii, Enterobacter vonholyi, Enterobacter pseudoroggenkampii, in addition to Cedecea davisae.Current research indicates that these bacteria have impressive bioremediation properties because they can accumulate heavy metals, such as lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), and nickel (Ni), while also having the ability to decompose hazardous organic substances.The study's results revealed that the isolated bacteria possess considerable bioremediation potential, with a number of species showing the ability to lower heavy metal levels and accumulate toxic substances without displaying evident signs of toxicity.These findings indicate that thermohalophilic bacteria from the Wawolesea hot springs could be incredibly useful in biotechnology, especially for creating eco-friendly approaches to tackling heavy metal contamination and other detrimental compounds.

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