Characterization of a Halotolerant Bacterium Isolated from Soil in Suburban Detroit

Abstract

During cold weather, salt is sprayed on roads and sidewalks to prevent ice formation. We sought to determine if this excess salt affected the soil microbial community by increasing the presence of halotolerant or halophilic microbes. We collected a soil sample and isolated a single bacterial colony using nutrient agar plates supplemented with 5% NaCl. The microbe was able to grow indicating an ability to tolerate NaCl. To test if NaCl was required, we grew it on Nutrient Agar without additional NaCl. This microbe was able to grow at least as well without 5% NaCl, indicating that it is halotolerant but does not thrive in the presence of NaCl (halophilic). This bacterial isolate was characterized using multiple staining methods and differential/selective media. We also studied the metabolism of this microbe with respect to its ability to utilize various nutrient sources both in the presence and absence of oxygen. Genomic DNA was extracted and used to amplify the 16s ribosomal RNA gene. This was then sequenced and compared to the 16s RNA bacterial and archaeal database at the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) to further aid in identification. We were able to isolate a halotolerant microbe showing the presence of a microbe with salt tolerance in the community of salt‐treated soil. The characterization of this microbe will be discussed.Support or Funding InformationFunded by the Department of Natural Science at Lawrence Technological University.