Isolation and characterization of two hydrocarbon-degrading Bacillus subtilis strains from oil contaminated soil of Kuwait.

Two strains of hydrocarbon-utilizing bacteria were isolated from soil samples of the Kuwait Burqan oil field at a temperature of 37 degrees C. The bacteria were motile endospore-forming rods with slight differences in their metabolic patterns and 16S rRNA sequence. Vegetative cells of the strains designated as AHI and AHII had an ultrastructure typical of gram-positive bacteria and showed gram-positive staining. The bacteria did not show pigmentation. Best growth was observed at 37 degrees C at neutral pH and NaCl concentrations in the range of 5-10 g per l. Both strains were obligatory aerobic and developed on synthetic media with either Diesel fuel, n-decan or naphthalene as the sole carbon and energy source. No specific growth factors were required. On the basis of their morphological, physiological and biochemical features, as well as their 16S rRNA analysis and electron microscope study, both strains were assigned to the species of Bacillus subtilis.