Salt-adapted bacteria isolated from the Rouge River and potential for degradation of contaminants and biotechnological applications.

The current work extends the phenotypic and molecular characterization of the bacterial culture collection from the Rouge River to gain an understanding of the physiology of the strains and their potential for biotechnological applications. Phenotypic and molecular analyses were performed on six unique strains. Most of the strains tested for hydrolytic activities were positive for the production of enzymes, in contrast to previously described species that showed very little hydrolase activities. Little antibiotic resistance was seen among the strains, although Halobacillus (strain 9-gw1-su5-2) was found to be the most resistant to antibiotics. Results revealed the physiological diversity of the strains in terms of their ability to metabolize unusual and refractory substrates. Of the 31 toxic organic compounds, 2 to 18 were used by the strains. Clostridium (strain 9-gw1-su5-2) exhibited the broadest utilization capability. The isolates were versatile in their nutrient abilities and represented a potential source of bacteria and/or genetic material for the degradation of contaminants and biotechnological applications.