Isolating Indigenous Metal Resistant Gram-Positive Bacteria: Assessing Their Selenite Reduction Potential

Abstract

The objective of this study is to isolate gram-positive bacilli from soil and to study the effects of physiological parameters on their heavy metal resistance. High levels of metals in the soil can have major toxic effects on soil microorganisms and may cause a great change in the species diversity and population sizes of soil microbes. In current study soil samples were collected from the agriculture drainage water and soil in Lahore. After the selection of sixty gram-positive strains, their biochemical and metabolic profile was structured and all were auxin producing. The isolates were resistant to multiple heavy metals including Ni. Pb, Cr, Li and Hg. Their selenite reduction was estimated at varyingpH, Temperature and concentrations of selenite and all were resistant upto 3000 ?g/ml, However, their efficacy of reducing selenite was majorly affected by set physiological parameters.