Identification and characterization of bacteria isolated from sago industrial effluent

Sago industrial effluent is highly organic and acidic in nature and generates pungent odour. As it is highly rich in organic compound starch that acts as the substrate hosting various bacterial communities, it plays an important role in the industrial and biomedical fields. The present study deals with isolation, identification and characterization of the unknown bacteria present in the sago industry effluent. A total of four bacteria were isolated from sago industrial effluent using nutrient agar medium. Based on the morphological, biochemical, 16S rRNA sequencing and phylogeny analysis, the isolated bacteria were identified as the species of Lysinibacillus, Pseudomonas and Brevibacillus. Indigenous bacteria isolated from the sago industrial effluent were studied to examine their compatibility and antagonistic activities (antibacterial and antibiotic) and their tolerance against five heavy metals (chromium, copper, iron, magnesium and zinc). All the four isolates found compatible with each other. Brevibacillus sp. demonstrated significant antibacterial activity against the tested pathogenic bacteria. Antibiotic sensitive assay showed that the isolates were highly resistant to the antibiotics, ampicillin and penicillin, and highly sensitive to gentamycin, tetracycline and chloramphenicol. The isolated bacteria were resistant to the heavy metals within the limit of 0.2 to 0.8 mg L-1.