Isolation and identification of Methamidophos -tolerant bacteria from agricultural soils in Arequipa - Peru.

The use of organophosphate pesticides in Arequipa is due to their effectiveness in pest control despite restrictions imposed by government institutions, their use is still common and the impact on ecosystems and human health continues to be a major environmental problem. The persistence of these agrochemicals in soils and water makes it necessary to use new degradation methods. In the present investigation, bacteria were isolated from soils with a history of contamination with methamidophos. The strains extracted from soil samples were cultured in a mineral saline medium contaminated with methamidophos (100 mg L -1 ) until purification, then the isolated strains were identified through the observation of cultural characteristics, biochemical tests, and molecular sequencing. The bacteria identified, tolerant to the presence of methamidophos as the sole carbon source, are: Priestia Megaterium (KU555935) and Bacillus licheniformis (KU524076). This research aims to contribute to the development of biotechnology focused on the isolation a nd identification of microorganisms in order to provide alternatives for the identification of bacteria with the potential to degrade OPs.